Facebook Urbanization: A Silicon Valley Case Study

Abstract

Silicon Valley arose in the 1940s and 1950s as a leading computer and technology hub. Facebook joined that boom in 2006, acquiring its Menlo Park, California office from Sun Microsystems in 2011 and constructing the office buildings MPK 20, 21, and 22 nearby in 2016. Additionally, Facebook submitted plans to expand in mid-2020 with a development, Willow Village, that includes residential, retail, and other mixed uses. This piece analyzes the three campuses through the lenses of phenomenology and American Pragmatism, and determines that Facebook’s campuses are concerning phenomenological places that are quickly turning Menlo Park into a Facebook monopoly. This is problematic from a pragmatic point of view as it leads to corporate interest being the primary driver of urbanistic change in Menlo Park. In order to promote a more equitable built environment, Facebook needs to strike a balance between a strong sense of place, an integration with the surrounding communities, and a more serious attitude towards the urban developer role it has claimed in Menlo Park.