Newpark Mall, built in 1972, was once a thriving shopping center. There were no competitors. Now, within 5 miles, there are 6 malls, all newer. Newpark is essentially dead.

Newpark has the potential of being the first civic center, with a civic scaled gathering space in Silicon Valley, it will be the geographical epicenter. It proposes to be a great social attractor with its 1.5 mile ‘ring park,’ piazza San Siliconé, and a full set of activities and uses: government, civic, commercial, residential, and recreational. It will be transformed in four phases, beginning with the parks, which will be used for recreation and environmental bio-remediation.

To revive, it must radically change its purpose. To start, it is a land asset surrounded by a city that has grown around it over 30 years. It is no longer a sub-urban condition. This proposal is to create a microcosm of a much denser city, in anticipation of the increased density around it. It will be integrated, porirous and an attractor with a longer investment horizon to facilitate flexible growth markets. The primary retail will be similar to a year round consumer electronics and digital media entertainment exposition.

The public spaces, soft and hard, will be the ‘interstitial connective tissue,’ easily accessible from 3 sides and open year round.