Oakland

What Happens When Student Renters Crowd Out Homeowners?

The growing imbalance of student housing and single family homeowners in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh is affecting the surrounding community. A new master plan seeks to maintain a healthy equilibrium between the housing options.

May 27, 2013 - Global Site Plans - The Grid

Killers of Bay Area Pedestrians Face Little Consequences

The Bay Area has the nation's third highest rate of pedestrian deaths over the last decade. And one-third of those killed between 2007-11 were in a crosswalk when struck. However most drivers at fault faced no serious consequences.

May 1, 2013 - The Bay Citizen

How Communities Are Fighting Transportation Injustice

Transportation costs disproportionately effect low-income families, while federal transportation spending biases affluent drivers over lower-income mass transit riders. Activists are utilizing civil rights legislation to challenge the status quo.

February 21, 2013 - Boston Review

Are Apps the Answer to Oakland's Problems?

Azeen Ghorayshi looks at how Oakland's civic hackers are trying to change the city through technology -- giving people greater access to data, increasing transparency, and keeping people better informed -- all with minimal investment by the city.

January 14, 2013 - East Bay Express

Pittsburgh Neighborhood Unveils the 'Mother of All Vision Plans'

Unveiled at an event held last week at the University of Pittsburgh, "Oakland 2025: A vision for sustainable living and mobility" is the culmination of a process that involved a laundry list of institutional, community, and governmental partners.

November 6, 2012 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Buds of LEED-ND Begin to Bloom

LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) hasn't exactly unleashed a flurry of new sustainable, dense development. But, as the economy strengthens, innovative projects in Oakland, Syracuse, and Milwaukee are beginning to take flight.

September 28, 2012 - Urban Land Magazine

BART Celebrates a Big Birthday, and Faces the Challenges of Middle Age

Today marks the 40th anniversary of the opening of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system. The "first in a new generation of American rail systems" when it was built, BART now faces the challenges of declining health and keeping up with the times.

September 11, 2012 - San Francisco Chronicle

Speculators Scoop Up 42% of Oakland, CA Foreclosures

A new report by Oakland, CA nonprofit Urban Strategies Council reveals that a massive surge has occurred in investor-speculator ownership in the city's low-income neighborhoods in the wake of the foreclosure crisis.

July 2, 2012 - InfoAlamedaCounty.org

Oakland, CA: Zero Waste by 2020?

Anna Leidreiter explores the ecological principles underlying Oakland's dramatically successful waste reduction program, and echoes the refrain that modern cities must think about consumption and waste in cyclical terms.

April 26, 2012 - The Global Urbanist

The Death and Life of Redevelopment in California

Kicking off their new long-form Forefront initiative, Josh Stephens writes for Next American City on the killing of the country’s largest redevelopment program, and its implications for economic and real estate development.

April 17, 2012 - Next American City

Can the Bay Area Grow Up Without Growing Out?

John King writes about an ambitious new regional plan for the Bay Area that looks to accommodate the 1.1 million new jobs and 2.1 million new residents expected by 2040, with relatively little suburban sprawl.

March 20, 2012 - San Francisco Chronicle

Why Infill Development May Be Bad for Your Health

A new study has created unexpected tensions between public health advocates and smart-growth-oriented urban planners.

January 12, 2012 - California Watch

Airport-BART Connection Materializing Amid Cost Disputes

Nearly 10 years in the works, a connector between Oakland International Airport and the BART transit system is taking shape.

January 8, 2012 - The Contra Costa Times

Density with Variety

David Baker Architects latest public housing project in Oakland, California shows that high-density living can be attractive and feature a variety of housing types, writes Allison Arieff.

October 31, 2011 - The Atlantic Cities

California Cities Hoping Projects Lure Teams and Development

Cities across California are proposing new stadium projects in hopes of luring football teams and economic growth as a result of their new megadevelopments.

August 30, 2011 - The Architect's Newspaper

BRT Boom in U.S.

A new study says that Los Angeles, Cleveland, Las Vegas, Eugene and Pittsburgh are leading the surge with the best bus rapid transit (BRT) systems in the nation.

May 28, 2011 - The Institute of Transportation and Development Policy

Parking Space "Parklet" Stolen in Entirety

The Actual Cafe in Oakland, California proudly opened an extension of their space last Wednesday into a parking space, creating a parklet for customers. Later that evening, someone stole the whole thing.

May 23, 2011 - Oakland Local

Making Retail Work in TODs

Built around a BART station in 1999, Oakland, California's Fruitvale Village has had a tough time keeping its retail space alive (as have many TODs). The property managers have learned some lessons over the years about how to overcome the challenges.

March 23, 2011 - New Urban Network

A Renaissance in Oakland

An urban renaissance is underway in Oakland, where a population surge and a fleet of trendy shops has revived parts of a formerly crime-ridden city.

March 21, 2011 - Los Angeles Times

Growth Slows in Bay Area

The San Francisco Bay Area has seen its smallest rate of growth in the state's history, according to data from the 2010 Census.

March 11, 2011 - The Contra Costa Times

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.

Senior Planner

City of Thousand Oaks

Community Development Director

City of Wisconsin Rapids

Professor of Urban Planning

Harvard University Graduate School of Design

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