[3] Many residents, however, shared the much-earlier view of a former downtown merchant, that Eugene had sustained more damage from the mall than it would have from a natural disaster.

With dramatic increases in automobile purchases accompanied by a post-WWII decline in public transportation, many communities accepted urban renewal financing to demolish buildings and install much-needed parking areas.

[4][5] As climate-controlled, suburban shopping centers became common in the 1960s, communities began to explore ways of drawing retail and entertainment business back into downtown areas.

[6] In 1963, a Lane County planning director predicted that by 1980, residents of Eugene would live in an age of push-button automation where hands-free cars would speed them into the city core, and they could park in multi-story structures and be whisked on moving sidewalks to an extensive, plastic-covered shoppers' mall.

In 1945, for example, Fred Cuthbert proposed closing Willamette Street to cars in order to create a landscaped pedestrian oasis in the center of town, and he suggested parking along the perimeter.

[9] Community leaders in 1961 had responded to demands for more student housing at the University of Oregon with a project known as the East Campus Urban Renewal.

The project demolished historic homes east of the university and constructed large residence complexes surrounded by a landscaped campus that opened in 1965.

The new shopping center was a modern, climate controlled environment with anchor stores and upscale retail and food outlets.

Eugene inventoried its downtown holdings and found four major department stores, 170 to 200 retail outlets, and an estimated 500 firms including banks and professional offices.

[11] Civic leaders determined that the time for a downtown mall had arrived, and construction began May 2, 1970, almost exactly nine months after the opening of Valley River Center.

Tax incentives allowing accelerated depreciation favored construction of enclosed, suburban malls over freestanding retail outlets.

When Eugene acquired a large, landscaped, outdoor public-use venue with convenient public transportation, it seemed in fulfillment of deeply held social needs that were not dependent upon retail sales.

In referring to what he called "the problem of older people," the chairman of the Eugene Renewal Agency expressed sadness that the elderly would like to have "hung on" but couldn't.

[6] Economic conditions in the 1970s had not favored downtown retailers, but urban renewal efforts and tax incentives had benefited the builders of professional and government offices on streets adjacent to the mall.

In a special election September 18, 2001, Eugene residents approved by 67 percent a plan to reopen the final section of the mall to motor traffic.

But the explanations about the failure of the Eugene Mall were not sufficient to address why some businesses and government offices could not survive downtown.