NEW WAYS:Diridon Station, San Jose, Silicon Valley Capital, CA

NEW WAYSDiridon Station, San Jose, Silicon Valley Capital, CA, USAIntoduction\”New ways\”, as an expression, refers in this case to various issues: First, it refers to the new means of transportation with which we can now reach the Diridon Station area, a large track of land adjacent to downtown San Jose and ready for redevelopment (as well as to future transit lines to be brought to the site, such as the proposed and recently approved Los Angeles– San Francisco high speed rail).Second, it refers to the new technologies developed in the area of San Jose – Palo Alto (the Silicon Valley) in the last twenty years, technologies so innovative and so important that have made globalization possible and have changed the way in which we live today.Third, \”New ways\” refers to the new urban techniques, to the equally inventive ways of urbanizing that will need to be deployed in the design of the new Diridon Station area in order to produce an appropriate and contemporary urbanity, one befitting the culture of technological innovation referred to in the above mentioned paragraph.DescriptionThis studio is kindly sponsored by the Municipality of the City of San Jose, CA. Their Planning Office has produced the following paragraphs:\”Background:San Jose, located in the heart of Silicon Valley, seeks to elevate its downtown core to excellent status with innovative urban design and symbolic architecture to create a place of joy, function, identity, and pride. Such a place should transform the mode of life in a traditional California suburban city by combining a pre-eminent multi-modal transit station with a strong employment base, a large residential community, entertainment, open space, and mixed uses.San Jose, is the third largest city in California, the tenth largest in the country, and known as the Capital of Silicon Valley. Widely regarded as the pre-eminent region in the world for technology and innovation, Cisco, Adobe, EBay, IBM, Hitachi, and Google are only a handful of examples of technological leaders that are either headquartered or maintain a significant presence in or around San Jose. The venture capital infrastructure that enabled the tech-boom in Silicon Valley has — with the growing concern over environmental issues — now begun to shift investment dollars into green and sustainable technologies, and creating a new and increasingly substantial economic base in San Jose.However, the City\’s downtown core is only beginning to be developed in a way that is commensurate — in terms of innovation, urban design, place-making, and mixed uses — with its technological renown. Major efforts are underway to attract high-tech employment to downtown. Adobe Systems has 2,000 employees in its downtown headquarters and has acquired another site in the Diridon Station area to double its presence. The downtown core has also seen significant development in high-density condos and luxury towers. Restaurants have moved in and there is coordinated City effort to develop even moreentertainment options (live music, wine bars, etc.) downtown. As part of this transformation, the City is undergoing a significant planning effort to redevelop an area around an existing transit hub called Diridon Station.San Jose Diridon Station Study Area:Historically a mixed industrial and residential just west of the Guadalupe River, the San Jose Diridon Station Study Area (Diridon) is at the western edge of the downtown core and comprises 130 acres. Existing uses include some industrial and office, but are primarily composed of parking. The major entertainment venue in the area is the HP Pavilion Arena, home to the San Jose Sharks NHL professional hockey team. The Pavilion, located diagonally across the street from the existing Diridon Station and the 1934 San Jose Water Works City La