Oakland
East Bay BRT Project Receives $81 Million in Federal Grants
Don't confuse East Bay Rapid Transit with Bay Area Rapid Transit: one's a bus, the other heavy rail. But calling it a bus does not do justice to what will be the Bay Area's first bus rapid transit (BRT) line composed primarily of dedicated lanes.
$202 Million Streetcar Plan for Oakland's Broadway Corridor
Oakland city officials are considering a streetcar between two of the city's transit and entertainment hubs in the hopes of solidifying the stream of investment coming into the city.
Late-Night Buses to Run When BART Service Stops
Alameda-Contra Costa Transit* and Bay Area Rapid Transit are considering a one-year pilot program that would provide transit service after BART's Cinderella-esque closing time.
When it Comes to Seismic Safety, It's Each City for Itself
Buildings constructed of unreinforced masonry get much if not most of the media's attention on seismic safety, but so-called 'soft story' wood buildings, often with garages on the ground floor, compose the greatest numbers of vulnerable buildings.
First 'Chief Resilience Officer' Begins Term in Oakland
Victoria Salinas was recently named Oakland, California's first Chief Resilience Officer (CRO), a position popping up in municipalities throughout the world.
Time to Look at Oakland
While Oakland is by no means an easy place to develop real estate, the often maligned East Bay city of over 400,000 residents may very well be the Bay Area’s best place to embrace much-needed development.
Review: New Oakland Hospital a Case Study in Urban Design Failure
John King describes a new, 7.6-acre hospital campus in the heart of Oakland, California as accessible only by car or ambulance—in other words, "enough to make you sick."
Op-Ed: Oakland Needs Better Housing Policy to Lead Relief of the Bay Area's Housing Crunch
Robert Selna, a land use and real estate attorney, pens a letter to the editor arguing for Oakland to develop specific and aggressive housing development policies.
Tracking the Rate of Sprawl for U.S. Cities between 2000 and 2010
Many studies have measured and compared the sprawl of U.S. metropolitan areas. A recent study tracks the rate at which the same cities grew either less compact or more compact for the decade between 2000 and 2010.
Community Gardens as Harbingers of Gentrification
Lauren Markham examines the value of community gardens to the bottom lines of developers—because one person's blighted back yard can easily become another person's veggie garden marketing pitch.
Gentrification as Public Health Risk
Research around the United States has found gentrification to produce public health risks. Will lessons from Oakland and New York City be enough for a rapidly gentrifying city like St. Louis to escape poor public health outcomes?
What Does Lynch’s 5 Elements Reveal About Oakland, CA?
Using Kevin Lynch’s approach to analyzing the image of cities, Los Angeles County Planner Clement Lau explores Oakland and reveals a city that is quite different than it's public image.
SPUR: The Bay Area Has A Sprawl Problem
SPUR states its case clearly by announcing, “We believe cities are the key to our future” at the opening of a new report called “SPUR’s Agenda for Change.”
How to ‘Not Be a Gentrifier’—Oakland Edition
As an urbanist, it can be easy to think of gentrification as a macroeconomic trend or a collection of data points, not as an individual experience. A community organizer in Oakland would like to bring the issue home for the city’s newcomers.
Report: Caltrans Systematically Quelled Bay Bridge Safety Concerns
Instagram images and group bike rides now celebrate the Bay Bridge’s eastern span, but the bridge’s long construction process was a constant source of concern. A new report details what went wrong to (hopefully) prevent future mistakes.
Waterfront Ballpark in Oakland a Tough Sell
Following unsuccessful attempts to move the Oakland Athletics to San Jose (an area controlled by the San Francisco Giants), team owner Lew Wolff is resistant to a plan to move the team to a waterfront location.
Oakland Pulls the Plug on Pedestrianization Project
A pilot project launched in August hoped to follow the successes of similar efforts in New York and San Francisco by turning Oakland's Latham Square into a pedestrian plaza. But after only six weeks, the area has been reopened to autos.
Gov. Brown Draws on his Mayoral Experience to Veto Affordable Housing Bill
Calif. Gov. Jerry Brown served two terms as mayor of Oakland. His attempts to bring more downtown housing to the city led him to veto an inclusionary housing bill that would have required developers to supply affordable housing or pay an in-lieu fee.
Protecting San Francisco's Character Has Transformed It
By "protecting" San Francisco's physical character through down-zoning and NIMBY activism, the city has transformed its social character, as families, young adults, and others flee the city to find cheaper rents. A regional solution is required.
Pittsburgh's Mayoral Candidate Pitches Light Rail Expansion
The University of Pittsburgh's student newspaper reports on mayoral candidate Bill Peduto's proposal to extend the city's light rail system to connect to Oakland, where three of the city's largest employers (including Pitt) reside.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
