America may have declared the mall dead, but Riyadh's denizens see things differently.

Designed by Cass Calder Smith Architecture in New York, Riverwalk consists of a lifestyle center and public park with approximately 36 restaurant and retail spaces on a 325 ft (100m) square site in the Taawon district of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Arabian capital and financial epicenter are ballooning into a beacon of the mall's cultural potential, thanks in some part to the country's ambitious "Vision 2030" program to diversify the economy. Designed around food and beverage tenants, outdoor seating, and a landscaped plaza with a reflecting pool, the development delivers a rare pedestrian gathering space in a predominantly car-based neighborhood. Upper-level terraces and shade structures combined with double-height interiors engage both the public thoroughfares and the landscape within.

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Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is a growing city with a population of 8 million, where roughly two-thirds are under 30. Entrepreneurs and small businesses that range from coffee shop owners to developers and more are emerging. A national policy called "Saudi Vision 2030" aims to create a self-sufficient society with national and international businesses that aren't dependent on oil. 

"Saudi Vision 2030 is a strategic framework to reduce Saudi Arabia's dependence on oil, diversify its economy, and develop public service sectors such as health, education, infrastructure, recreation, and tourism".

Ten years ago, Cass Calder Smith Architecture developed a relationship with Abdulla Al Doweesh, a resident and successful developer in Riyadh. Their first project was a simple point-of-sale area for his chain, Java Time. Today, the developer-architect team currently has over 1 million square feet of projects in design and construction in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

One of the most recent is Riverwalk, a mixed-use commercial development in the Taawon district of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The 100,000-square-foot site is predominantly surrounded by low-rise residential buildings recently built as the city has expanded. Riverwalk has a sense of place that is both local and cosmopolitan, in sync with the lifestyles of the young population.

Conceptually, it's an Oasis in the desert surrounded by tents with poles. In reality, it's a park surrounded by distinctive buildings. It has become an iconic and instant landmark that balances public social space and granular commercial uses. It is designed equally as a unique daytime and evening destination for people with cars, families, and individuals from the neighborhood to walk to for frequent enjoyment. 

There are three levels of shops; Upper-level terraces and shade structures combined with double-height interiors engage the public through various spaces. Thirty-five small-scale shops include many restaurants, cafes, stores, and services – many of which are start-up establishments. The central body of water has three islands; Two are irregular shapes with welcoming lawns for families, while the center island has a panoramic elevator or the 'Tower' that beckons people to ascend to the upper-level shops to enjoy the skyline views. There are six individual buildings primarily aiming inwards, forming the plaza. At the same time, the shops that face outward have facades and entrances to the street to revitalize the district further. The plaza is open on each end as gateways to welcome the neighborhood from opposite directions. Numerous roofs and overhangs provide shade and dynamic shadow-play.

The buildings are off-white, with smooth plaster for a sculpted appearance, and have a variety of geometric shapes with solid walls, voids, columns, and glass. These shapes create a subtle spectacle that is concise, contemporary, and iconic, contrasting with the primarily earth-colored rectilinear neighborhood buildings. Overall, its civic scale relates to its urban context, while up close, the buildings break down into smaller pedestrian-oriented spaces.