Formerly the site of a golf course, Rouse Hill Town Centre brings 210 shops, 104 residences, 2,800 square meters (30,000 sf) of office space, ten restaurants, a cinema, and multiple educational and civic uses to Rouse Hill, a suburb approximately 40 kilometers (25 mi) northwest of Sydney, Australia. The mixed-use lifestyle center combines the traditional streetscape of a contemporary town with community spaces and the convenience of the latest shopping, dining, and entertainment options. Launched in March 2008 and developed at a cost of AUS $470 million, Rouse Hill Town Centre opened fully leased and has won praise for its extensive environmentally friendly features, creating a ripple effect in the Australian retail industry.
A 347,750-square-foot urban entertainment/retail center occupying two city blocks along Denver’s well-known 16th Street Mall. The mix of tenants in the three- and four-level open-air center includes a 15-screen, 80,000-square-foot United Artists cinema, a 25,000-square-foot Virgin Megastore, a 12,000-square-foot Hard Rock Cafe, the last NikeTown to be built in the United State, a 10,000-square-foot Wolfgang Puck Cafe, an 18,000-square-foot Maggiano’s, the Corner Bakery, and other fine restaurants, plus a host of apparel and specialty retailers. Composed of four separate buildings linked by pedestrian walkways and covered escalators, the project features an understated design that opens on the street, showcases its distinctive tenants, and blends easily with its urban surroundings. A $1.5 million computerized electronic sign dubbed the “Great Wall” spans the two city blocks and serves to connect the separate components of the project. The sign also creates an icon for downtown Denver.
Downtown Silver Spring is an urban, mixed-use infill and historic rehabilitation project anchored by restaurants, retail space, offices, and cinemas in Silver Spring, Maryland, an inner-ring suburb of Washington, D.C., that had experienced decades of flight and changing demographics. After two unsuccessful attempts to redevelop the area, a public/private development partnership came together to create a gathering place for this urban community that features a traditional street format punctuated by two plazas and integrates existing structures with new construction. The project has been a catalyst for further redevelopment in the area. Future phases will include a town square, a civic building, and a residential component.
