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Transcript of BAAQMD Final Report July1
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Prepared by Ecocity Builders
For the Bay Area Air Quality Management District
June 30, 2009
Ecocity Mapping or
Urban Villages
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SECTION I RESHAPING CITIES FOR A HEALTHIER FUTURE 5Ecocity Mapping for Urban VillagesVillage Bottoms Action Plan
GreenhouseGasBenetsofUrbanVillages
Overview of this Report
SECTION II MAPPING OAKLANDS URBAN VILLAGES 11 BueringWalkabilityTresholds OaklandsUrbanVillages
Identifying Potential Urban Villages
SECTION III TOOLS FOR IMPLEMENTING URBAN VILLAGES 17
IN OAKLANDGeneral Plan AmendmentsForm-Based Codes Amendment to Zoning
Financial Mechanism Supporting Urban VillagesTransfer of Development Rights Ordinance
SECTION IV COMMUNITY OUTREACH & SITE SELECTION 28 Inv ent or y of Vi ta li ty Att ri but es inWestOakl and
Notes from Analysis and Community InterviewsCommunity Outreach: Urban Releaf
Community Outreach: Village Bottoms CDC
Mapping Community Resources
Acknowledgements
Thisprojecthastodatebenetedfromthegenerous
contributions of time, talent and resources of many individuals.Wewouldlikeinparticulartorecognizecommunityleaders:
Marcel Diallo, Letitia Ntofon and Sharifah Ishan from Vil lageBottoms Community Development Corporation and Village
Bottoms Neighborhood Association for their courage, conviction,
and ongoing guidance and inspiration, especially on the VillageBottoms Action Plan itself which is their vision.
ThankyoutoKembaShakurandthestaofUrbanReleafforco-
designingandlaunchingtheinitialon-the-groundWestOakland
urban village analysis.
AspecialacknowledgementgoestoWillAllen,CEOofGrowingPowerinMilwaukeeWisconsinalongwithGrowingPower'ssta
who have provided ongoing support for the Village Bottomsfarm operation launched during this project timeframe by Village
Bottoms Community Development Corporation.
Closertohome,we'dtothankallthepeopleandbusinesses
whohavehelpedwithgrantawards,donationsandin-kindcontributions, including:
-DanielDimitriandKaiserPermanente'sCommunityBenets
Program;- Foundation for Sustainability and Innovation;
- Paul Discoe and LiveEdge;-JeMiller,MillerCompanyLandscapeArchitects;
-CaliforniaWasteSolutions;-It'saGrindCoeeHouse,and
-PacicCoastBrewingCompany.
Wewouldalsoliketosincerelythankallthemanyindividualsandorganizationswhogaveinput,adviceanddirectionthrough
interviews, conversations and meetings to discuss the urban
village approach to sustainable development. They are toonumerous to list here but their names and contact information
can be found in Section IV: Community Outreach of thisreport.Severalkeyindividualsdostandoutandneedspecial
acknowledgement,theyare:Dr.WashingtonBurns,Director
of the Prescott Joseph Center for Community EnhancementandBruceBuckelew,Founder/DirectorofOaklandTechnology
ExchangeWest.
Much of the community outreach and interviews were conductedbyourprojectpartnerWesternInstituteofSocialResearch
(WISR).TheirteamincludesJohnBilorusky,VeraLabat,Monika
Scott,NzingaPace,JudyAndreas,andShyaamShabaka.
The Ecocity Builders team is as follows:- Kirstin Miller, Project Director;
- Richard Register, Project Co-director;
-RickSmith,DavidReidandStephanieHsia,GISmappingandanalysis;
- Christian Runge, Village Bottoms Action Plan illustrativeconcepts and graphic design;
-JaneWardani,mapping,editing,layoutanddesign;- Caitlin Cameron, Pine Street Master Pl an and plan rendering;
-GeoreyHolton,PhoenixIronworkssketchesandconceptual
drawings.
Lastbutnotleast,we'dliketooerourdeepappreciationtotheBay Area Air Quality Management District, without whom this
project would not have been possible.
Contents
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Cities are approaching an era of new challenges, including meeting energy
and transportation needs in a time of growing energy constraints, reshapingthebuiltenvironmenttotarenewableenergyfuture,relocalizingthe
economy through sustainable businesses and industries, and increasing food
security through locally supportive agriculture.
Our main premise is that the sustainable human settlement of the future
needstobecomelessablanketofdevelopmentaccessedbycarsandmore
anetworkofwalkableurbanvillageslinkedbytransitandconnectedtoa strong downtown center, with room for urban agriculture, urban stream
corridors and greenways.
The problem is fairly simple: cities are too thinly spread out. They require
vast amounts of land and energy and pump climate-changing gases into the
atmosphere because they are automobile dependent. The answer: reshape
cities so that their vital centers neighborhood centers, district centers anddowntowns become more diverse in their activities and more compact in
their built form.
In this report, we present a strategy to enable this shifting of existing
developmenttowardsincreasinglyhealthyurbanvillagesofdierentscales,
from very small to large. In the process, cities will emerge that conserve land
and energy, from their basic layout on up through their buildings cities thatalso save money, time and health.
Reshaping Cities or a Healthier Future
SECTION I
SECTION V VILLAGE BOTTOMS ACTION PLAN 37Analysis
Neighborhood History
Pine Street Timeline
Neighborhood Opportunities VitalityClustersinWestOakland
Site Constraints and PotentialArmature: Structure and Flexibility
Village Bottoms Cultural DistrictConceptual Plans
Perspective Renderings
SECTION VI GREENHOUSE GAS BENEFITS OF URBAN
VILLAGES AND PROPOSED ACTION PLAN 53Citywide AnalysisProposed Action Plan Analysis
Soul Food Co-op Grocery
Village Bottoms Farms VillageWirelessNetwork
IncreasingBiking
CONCLUSION 65
APPENDIX I DRAFT TRANSFER OF DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS
ORDINANCE 66
Contents (contd)
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Village Bottoms Action Plan
Through an initial process of interviews and assessment, the
neighborhood we found most interested in exploring the mapping
andthedensityshiftingapproachwastheLowerBottomsneighborhoodofWestOakland.Thebottomswasoncethe
marshy low-lying fringe on San Francisco Bay. The area waslledandelevatedforbuildingsandstreetsintheearlydaysof
Oaklandsdevelopment.EcocityBuilderscolselycollaboratedwith the Village Bottoms Community Development Corporation,
aCalifornianonprot,inexploringtheproject,lookingat
architecturalpreservation,agriculturalrevitalizationandnewdevelopment all at the same time.
The Village Bottoms Action Plan presented in this report was
crafted through a collaborative community process and is basedon the goals and objectives of the residents. The Plan is anchored
by a vitality and needs assessment and inventory and, whenimplemented,wouldneedtobesupportedbyspecicgeneralplan
policiesandzoning,andeconomic(re)developmentstrategiessimilar to those we are recommending in this report and
coordinated with local and regional land use and transportation
agencies.
The plans focus is anchored on historic Pine Street between7thStreetand12thStreet,linkingtheemergingCentralStation
neighborhooddevelopmentsiteandthealreadyestablishedWest
OaklandBARTTransit-OrientedDevelopment.
Thebiggestbeneciary,however,isthebiosphereitselfintheform of a more stable climate and a better chance of survival
for humans and other living species. There are problems to
besurmountedandbenetstobegainedintheprocess.Themain premise, though, is that cities can be reshaped to confront
climate, ecological, economic and social justice problems all atonce.
Ecocity Mapping or Urban Villages
In this report we demonstrate an innovative and strategic
approach to mapping and planning for healthy humansettlements and natural systems. The method combines science
and technology with community education, outreach and input
to describe, communicate, and achieve a shared vision for just and
sustainable cities moving towards balance with natural systems.
By applying overlay analysis and adopting corresponding
zoning,policies,ordinancesandactionplans,existinglandandenergy intensive infrastructure is reshaped to create compact
centerswherepeoplelive,workandplaysurroundedbygreen
agriculturalandrecreationalareas.Thesecentersminimizetravel,aordquickaccesstoopenspaceandsustainableagricultureand
emphasizeurbanformwithinanaturalcontext.
Initially developed in the mid-1980s on paper, Ecocity Builders
nowisusinggeographicinformationsystems(GIS)andsuitabilitymodelingpioneeredbyIanMcHarg(1969)toorganizeand
analyzeinformationaboutcommunitiesintheirnaturalcontextsand identify and inventory vitality centers, or, as Ecocity Builders
isphrasingthisactivityinourcurrentpilotwork,urbanvillages.The resulting inventories can then be used as a visual road map to
the future.
7 Steps to Ecocity Mapping
Step1)ProducealocalnaturalhistorymapRevealshistoricalcreekchannels,indigenouslivelihoods,andculturalexchanges embodied in the neighborhood landscape. Important not only
for recreational and learning opportunities, but also for avoiding potential
natural disasters.
Step2)EstablishwalkablevitalitycentersIdentiesaccessbyproximity-within1/4milewalkingdistance-tojobs,shopping, healthcare, education, community gathering and other services.
Step3)Zoneoutwardstonaturecorridorsandagriculture
At each quarter-mile increment, the the urban village becomes less dense.Adjustzonesaccordingtoreliefandnaturalformssuchascreeks.
Step4)IdentifykeygatewaysandviewsStreets ending perpendicular to a river and railroad right-of-ways areof particular value as gateways for goods and services and as potential
locationsofkeyholeplazaoeringaviewintotheurbanvillage.Disused railroads can be used as a pedestrian or bicycle greenway.
Step5)RenderverticalcrosssectionsVisualizewithneighborhoodresidentscreativeoptionsforthethird
dimension that allow people to interact not just on the street level, but
throughopenairskyways,andcafes.
Step6)Providealegendforthemapofvitalitycenters
Step7)AddscenariomapsSince there are often many solutions for building an ecocity, show asmanyscenariosasthecommunitywouldliketosee.
Greenhouse Gas Benets o Urban Villages
Potentially applicable to any city, the Ecocity Mapping forUrbanVillagesapproachtoplanningenablessignicantdemand
reduction for transportation fuel, thereby contributing to solving
climate change. At the same time, peoples lives will be mademuch more convenient. For people concerned with economical
living, especially lower income individuals, seniors and families,the arrangement can mean freedom from supporting a car
nancially,savinganaveragepersonaround$10,000ayear
while doing more than almost any other approach for reducinggreenhousegasses.Thegreenhousegas(GHG)benetsofEcocity
MappingforUrbanVillagescanberealizedatthreescales:city,neighborhood and the planet. Good urban design and planning at
all three scales is crucial.
City Scale
Thecity,mankindsbasiceconomicengineofproductionand
container of culture and social life, can be thought of as a whole-system, analogous to a living organism. It is the largest creation
of our species and constitutes our single greatest impact on
nature, resources and the biosphere. Ecocity Mapping for UrbanVillageslookscloselyatprinciplesthatcanrapidlymoveusin
the direction of reversing the damage of climate change. Thecompact,mixed-usenatureofurbanvillagesorvitalitycenters
of increasing density and functional diversity, paired with theremoval of energy-intensive, low density development, means
thattransportationisminimizedandshiftedtolow-energyor
non-motorizedtransport.Thegoalistogetpeopleoutoftheircarsandintowalkableneighborhoods,bikablecitiesandtransit
ecient/sucientmetropolitanregions.Thecompactdiversityoffunctions is the guiding principle.
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Life in a car-free urban vill age center in a multi-family dwelling iseasilyquantiablerelativetolifeinasingle-familyhousewitha
car. The latter simply uses up much more energy.
The compact nature of Urban Vil lage design, with apartments
and condominiums, reduces the energy demand the sprawlingmodel of detached single residencies, saving enormous amounts
of energy for i n-building temperature and climate control. Single
detached residences are not only wasteful in their low-densityarrangement dependent on private cars, paving, and enormous
owsofcheapfuels,butalsoinheatingandcooling.Energyusedforheatingandcoolingasingledetachedhomeleakingfrom
the surface of the house is lost to human purposes after just oneuse. In apartments and condominiums, shared walls mean shared
heatingandcoolingatgreatecienciesbeforethesurfaceofthe
building loses its climate control energy to the air outside.
Therearealsoancillaryeects,whichcanbequantiedatprojected points into the future and described by assumptions
of speed with which the Ecocity Mapping and Urban Villages
initiative is implemented. For example, if buildings farther fromthe urban village centers are removed by willing-seller transfer
of development rights deals, while density and diversity ofdevelopment is added in the centers, then farming, recreation
and education can move closer to consumers. Food can be grownrelatively close to neighborhood centers on formerly paved, lawn-
covered or rooftop-displaced land. That means healthier, fresher
food requiring less energy to ship.
Withcreeksandurbanstreams,ridgelines,shorelineandothernatural features restored as buildings are removed farther
from centers, recreational and educational trips to nature and
become very short. Replacing an estimated fraction of such tripsbycarwithlocalwalksorbicycleridestonearbylandscapes
and waterscapes save the energy that would be required for
such trips by car not to mention energy savings from lessinfrastructure and vehicles (asphalt, concrete, cars, gasoline and
oilinfrastructure)thathavetobebuilttoaccomplishsuchtrips.
Neighborhood Scale
NeighborhoodssuchastheLowerBottomsinWestOakland
where the Urban Villages project is proceeding, and larger
neighborhood centers which might be thought of as city districtcenters, such as the Fruitvale Village area and Chinatown,
alreadysaveenergydirectlyandhavespecicclimatebenets.The energy use required for living in these area s is less than in
thelower-densityareasofthecity.Thewaytothinkaboutthesustainable development potential inside the neighborhood
centersistothinkofnegrainneighborhooddesignthatshifts
toward vital, active cultural and commercial clusters.
Likeatthecitywidescale,transportationenergyconservation,buildingenergyconservationandancillarybenetscanbe
realizedattheneighborhoodsscale.Asvitalityanddiversityof
functions increase, and at very close distances, a move towardsmoremulti-familyunitswouldimprovewalkability,health,
and overall quality of life free from cars. Energy savings fromgreaterheatingandcoolingeciencyalsooccurinmulti-family
residential buildings at the neighborhood scale.
Withthedensicationofneighborhoodcenters,landatthe
periphery of neighborhoods can be opened up for open spaceuses. These include food production, restoration of elements of
the natural environment, recycling areas, and sports and passiverecreationareassuchasparksandbicycleandpedestrianpaths.
In the case of areas of historic importance, as the Lower BottomsisimportantintheBlackculturalhistoryofOaklandandthe
whole country, there are a considerable number of architectural
gems that should be preserved. Many are single-family houses.Onesolutiontodensifysuchinfrastructureistoraisesomeof
the structures a story or two and allow for mixed uses, a desire
expressed by many residents in the area. Enlarging interiorvolume in this manner supports energy conservation and ground-
oorculturalandbusinessactivitiesthatmanyresidentswant.
Global Scale
The largest climate impact of the Ecocity Mapping system and
Urban Villages initiative would be at the world scale. Thereare already many good approaches that involve mapping and
community development that increase density around transithubsandmakedowntownsandmajordistrictcentersofcities
more vital and pedestrian-oriented. These approaches address
increasing population in cities that come from international orregional in-migration and very slow natural increase (though
somecitiesareactuallyshrinkingatthistime).TheAssociationofBayAreaGovernments(ABAG)andtheMetropolitan
TransportationCommission(MTC)supportandhelpdevelop
suchplansandresourcesdirectingsuchchanges,knownoftenasTransit-OrientedDevelopment(TOD).
But these TOD planning approaches do not yet deal with the
entire big picture: that cities in the United States and many otherparts of the world cover far more la nd for their populations than
cities that were built before cars, such as those in many parts of
Europe.Wecannotignorethatthelanduseandbuiltformwesee today are a direct result to planning around the automobile.
Whatifthegoalweretodiscoverthepreferredsizesandshapesof ecologically healthy and car-free cities?
Whatisneededistheconfrontationwiththesplayedoutcityitself and the necessity to remove thousands of acres of low-
density, car-dependent development. One could say that in
America there are thousands, even millions of acres of futurenatural and agricultural land yearning to breathe free. These
millions of acres are buried under the suburbs, but are al so buried
under land inside major cities borders.
There needs to be both sides of the transition represented inplanningthatleadstoanewapproachdealingeectivelywith
climate change. More density in one place needs to be paired
with the removal of low-density development somewhere else.Onlythenwewillhavethemodelformaking21stcenturycities
genuinely sustainable and energy-conserving enough to stopand perhaps even begin reversing global heating.
It is often said that if the United States moves to deal with
climate change and China or India do not, then why bother and
maybefaceanunknowneconomicsituation?Citiescanhavethe same attitude, avoiding any seri ous confrontation with their
land use demands on transportation. On the other hand, they canconfronttheproblemwithforward-thinkinglanddevelopment
policiesandtakealeadershiprolewithintheUnitedStates,
andamodeltotheworld.Howcansmallneighborhoodsmakeadierence?Simplybyshowingthewaywecangowhenwe
understand the bigger picture. The changes that are right for thetime can be contagious even as far away as India and China.
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BAAQMD Deliverables
Ecocity Mapping for Urban Villages technique applied to the
CityofOakland&VillageBottomsneighborhood
UrbanVillageszoningoverlaymapwithrecommendations
forpotentialVitalityCenters
Community Outreach Process
Review of the Land Use and Transportation Element of theOaklandGeneralPlanandtheZoningOrdinance
Policy Recommendations for Implementing Urban Villages:
- General Plan Amendments- Form-Based Codes- Draft Transfer of Development Rights Ordinance
Village Bottoms Action Plan: Analysis and recommendationsforspecicanddetailedlandusechanges
Analysis of the potential greenhouse gas impacts of
implementing the Action Plan
Overview o this Report
This report constitutes a scan of a whole city and then
develops the idea of what would happen on the ground to one
neighborhood.Wehopetoprovideacompleteecocitymapandclarifytheideaenoughtomakeitavailabletothepublicand
decisionmakers,potentiallyinanyandallcities.
In Section II, Mapping Oaklands Centers o Vitality , wedemonstrate an application of the Ecocity Mapping for Urban
VillagestechniquetotheCityofOakland.
Section III, Tools or Implementing Urban Villages, we present
recommendations for policy changes and innovations thatencourage the development of Urban Villages, by attracting a
diversity of land uses and shifting densities to augment vitality.A draft Transer o Development Ordinance is enclosed as anAppendix.
Our extensive community outreach process, in partnership with
WesternInstituteforSocialResearch(WISR)isdocumentedinSection IV, Community Outreach & Site Selection.
Section V, Village Bottoms Action Plan outlines the vision fortherevitalizationoftheVillageBottomsCulturalDistrictcrafted
through a collaborative community process with the VillageBottoms Community Development Corporation.
Finally, in Section VI, Greenhouse Gas Benets o Urban
Villages and Proposed Actions, we provide quantitative details
of greenhouse gas emission reductions of the Urban VillagesapproachinOakland.Weshowthedierencethatstrategic
actionintheVillageBottomsCulturalDistrictcanmakeinreducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Theland-useplanningandurbandesignliteraturesuggestsmodelsandkey
indicators of vitality that lower carbon e missions through the reduction ofvehicle miles traveled. Many of these models are complex and require a great
dealofdataandexpertisetoanalyzeandimplement.Inpartnershipwith
theBayAreaAirQualityManagementDistrictandtheWesternInstitutefor
Social Research, Ecocity Builders has developed a simple model that uses onlyArcGIS9.3andaspreadsheetsoftware.WeapplythismodeltotheCityof
Oaklandinordertoidentifyandinventoryvitalitycentersthatcouldserveas
centers of future urban villages.
Wecalculatedgreenhousegasemissionreductionsbasedonthereductionof
non-worktrips,specicallygrocerystoretrips.Thesameprocedureusedincalculating greenhouse gas emission reductions may be used for other land-
use and transportation changes, such as shorter commutes and multi-family
versus single-family residential land-uses. Detailed analyses of greenhouse
gasemissionreductionsforOaklandandforourproposedActionPlanareoutlined in Section VI.
EcocityBuildershasbeenworkingwithcitiesworldwideforoveradecadeonwaystondandbuildcentersthatminimizegreenhousegasemissions
from transportation. The concept is simple: A vital center is a place where
residentscanmeetalmostalloftheirdailyneedswithinwalkingdistance.
Using a simple raster-based model for analysis, we began by identifyingconcentrations of amenities.
Mapping Oaklands Urban Villages
SECTION II
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ThevecategoriesofamenityweidentiedintheCityofOaklandwere:
1)Grocerystores,excludingconvenienceandliquorstores
2)Transitstops,suchasbusstopsandBARTstations3)Restaurants
4)Educationalinstitutions5)Parksandopenspaces.
Usingtherastermodel,weanalyzeddistancesfromresidentialparcels to areas with at least one of the above categories of
amenity. This helps answer the question,How ar will I haveto travel rom home to access what I need?Werstdidthis
independentofcurrentland-useandzoningdesignations.
Wethendrewringbuersaroundamenitycentersaccording
totransportationandland-useplanningconventions,deningaquarter-milewalkabilitythresholdforgrocerystores,transit
stops, and restaurants; a third-mile threshold for educationalinstitutions,andahalf-milethresholdforparksandopenspaces.
Rastercellswithinthespeciedthresholdhaveavalueofone
point.Addingupthelayersofareaswithinwalkabilitythresholdsof these amenities, we assessed the level of vitality according to
the number of amenities found within an area. The higher thenumberofamenities(1-5),thehigherthelevelofvitality.We
identiedareasofvitalitytoberesidentialareaswithallveamenitieswithinwalkingdistance.
Next,wefactoredinland-useandzoningdesignationsandlookedforthecommercialretaildistrictthatanchorsthevital
center.Specically,wedrewquarter-mileradiiaroundthecenterpoints of the areas of vitality from the previous step. Then, we
identiedlanduseswithinthisquarter-mileradii,andextracted
areasdesignatedasCommunityCommercialandNeighborhoodCentersintheCityofOaklandGeneralPlan.
GroceryStores
Land Use
& ZoningDesignations
Community
Input
Finding
Centersof Vitality
Transit
Stops
Restaurants
Schools
Parks&
Open
Spaces
within1/4m
ile
within1/4mile
within 1/4 mile
within
1/3m
ile
with
in1/4
mile
Within 1/4 mile o
grocery stores
Within 1/4 mile o
transit stops
Within 1/4 mile o
restaurants
Within 1/3 mile oschools
Within 1/2 mile oparks
1 amenity
2 amenities
3 amenities
4 amenities
5 amenities
Level o vitality
Bufering Walkability Thresholds Around Amenities to Assess Level o Vitality
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Finding centerpoints o areas o vitality 1/4-mile radius around centerpoints
Identiying land uses within1/4-mile radius o centerpoints
Extracting areas designated as CommunityCommercialand Neighborhood Centers,
with centerpoints shown
Weidentiedcenterpointsofareasdesignated
asCommunityCommercialandNeighborhood
Centers,toensurethatitislocatedonanon-residential parcel.
WethendenedUrbanVillagestobeareas
withinwalkingdistance(i.e.aquartermile)fromboth these center points of areas designated as
CommunityCommercialandNeighborhood
Centersaswellasfromtheareasthemselves.
Identiying Potential Vitality Centers
AreaszonedasCommunityCommercialand
NeighborhoodCentersarenotnecessarily
successful vitality centers. Some may be missingcertain amenities. To identify potential vitality
centers to further develop the Urban Villageapproach at the neighborhood scale, we conducted
a second set of analyses by identifying areas
withinwalkingdistanceofallareasdesignatedasNeighborhoodCentersandCommunity
CommercialintheCityofOaklandGeneralPlan.
Our analyses revealed additional potential vitalitycenters,suchasGoldenGate,WestOakland,
Temescal, Montclair, Mills, Eastmont, and
Elmhurst. However, these areas did not show upin our amenity-based analysis because they are
lackingoneormoreofthevevitalamenitieswewerelookingfor.Forexample,WestOaklandlacks
a grocery store that is not a convenience or liquor
store, and Montclair is not served by a transitconnection more frequently than every half hour.
1/4 mile buer around Community
Commercial and Neighborhood Centers
1/4 mile radius around centerpoints ocommercial retail district
Oaklands Urban Villages
Rockridge
Piedmont
Ghost Town
Pill Hill/Art Murmur
Dimond
Fruitvale Village
Coliseum
Grand Lake
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Through an environmental and social justice lens,
and a community outreach process, we sel ected
WestOaklandasapilotsitethatcandemonstratethe Ecocity Mapping for Urban Villages approach
todecision-makersandthegeneralpublic.Historicallyaneighborhoodmarginalizedby
freeway construction, disproportionately burdenedby air pollution impacts from its proximity to
freewaysandthePortofOakland,WestOaklands
low-income and predominantly African-Americanresidents have further expressed its dire need for a
quality grocery store in their neighborhood. Ourapproachthusseekstopromoteinvestmentinthis
area of potential vitality and strengthen an ageing
and much neglected neighborhood in the face of afuture of climate change uncertainties.
In the next section, we outline policy tools that
encourage urban villages, based on a review of thecurrentCityofOaklandGeneralPlanandZoning
and Transfer of Development Rights ordinances.
Wethendescribethecommunityinvolvementprocessthatwasessentialasbotharealitycheck
andawaytocustomizethevalues,dataandinformation used in the model.
Tools or Implementing Urban Villages
SECTION III
To support the changes in land uses, urban form, and densities envisioned
in the Urban Villages approach, Ecocity Builders recommends the following
policy shifts and amendments based on an extensive review of current City ofOaklanddevelopmentpracticesandregulations:
1.Amendthe1998LandUseandTransportationElement(LUTE)oftheCityofOaklandGeneralPlan
2.AmendCityofOaklandsZoningOrdinanceusingForm-BasedCodestoencourage diversity of land uses within Urban Villages
3.Createanancialmechanismforinfrastructureandpublicimprovementstosupport the Transportation Hierarchy and the Urban Village
4.RevisetheTransferofDevelopmentRightsOrdinanceoftheCityofOaklandtoshiftdensitiestowardsUrbanVillages/vitalitycentersandcreateadditionalopen space and conservation areas
Oaklands Urban Villages and Potential Vitality Centers
Rockridge
Piedmont
Ghost Town
Pill Hill
Dimond
Fruitvale Village
Coliseum
Grand Lake
Golden Gate
West Oakland
Jack LondonSquare
Temescal
Montclair
Mills
Eastmont
San Antonio
98th/International
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2. Amend City o Oaklands Zoning Ordinance usingForm-Based Codes to Regulate Urban Villages
The Urban Village approach focuses to a greater extent on form
ratherthanspecicusesasperconventionalzoning.WearethereforerecommendingthatOaklandandothercitiesinterested
intheecocity/urbanvillagesapproachconsiderapplyinganUrbanVillageform-basedcodes(FBC)asanoverlayorsubstitute
conventionalzoningbasedonlanduses.
ThefollowingdraftFBCzoningoverlayframeworkisbasedon
the concept of the transects. As shown in this diagram, a transectin nature is a geographical cross-section of a region intended
to reveal a sequence of environments. It helps study the many
symbiotic elements that contribute to habitats where certain
plants and animals thrive.
To guide the transition to a form to the built environment that is
in closer balance with living systems and based on the principal ofaccessbyproximityandwalkabledistances,theEcocityTransect
isdividedintoveT-zonesforapplicationonzoningmaps.These
vezonesvarybytheratioandlevelofintensityoftheirnatural,built, and social components. They are coordinated to all scales of
planning, from the region through the community scale down tothe individual lot and building.
Further study and development would be require to build outa comprehensive Ecocity Transect, along with public input and
consultation that would go hand-in-hand with the developmentof citywide Ecocity Mapping and Urban Village Action Plans. In
thisway,webelieve,theFBCwouldmorelikelytoachievethedesired results of healthy and sustainable development that is
informed by the culture and design preferences of the residents
themselves.
What are Form-Based Codes?
Form-basedcodesoeramethodofregulatingdevelopmenttoachieveaspecicurbanformandcreateapredictablepublic
realm primarily by controlling physical form, with a l esser focus
on land use, through city or county regulations.
Form-basedcodesseektoinuenceorregulate:- The relationship between building facades and the public realm
- The form and mass of buildings in relation to one another-Thescaleandtypesofstreetsandblocks.
The regulations and standards in Form-based codes, presentedinbothdiagramsandwords,arekeyedtoaregulatingplan
that designates the appropriate form and scale (and therefore,
character)ofdevelopmentratherthanonlydistinctionsinland
Transects in Nature
Source: http://www.iapad.org/transect_mapping.htm
1. Amend the 1998 Land Use and TransportationElement (LUTE) o the City o Oakland General Plan
Urban planning and land development are primarily guided by
theCityofOaklandGeneralPlan.TheGeneralPlanamendment,specicallytotheLandUseandTransportationElement(LUTE),
would contain overarching policies to bring the urban villageconcepttolifeforallofOakland.
Recognizingthatourdailymovementsareintricatelylinkedto
the urban form, we recommend that the LUTE be amended to
improve coordination between land uses and transportation.Whereas,inpreviousdecades,automobiledependencehas
been closely tied to sprawl, the Urban Villages concept shouldbe supported by a policy emphasis on alternatives to private
cars. LUTE policies should support a land use pattern thatbring together a wide range of distinct yet compatible uses, sothatdailylive,workandshoppingneedscanbemetwithina
small geographic area. The latter goal implies not only a highdensity but also a high diversity of uses that creates a sense of
community and place, to which we refer as Urban Villages.
After amendments are adopted, a more rigorous investigation of
eachcenteridentiedwouldbecompletedintheformofanAreaor Action Plan. The goal of the Area or Action Plan would be to
see how the new General Plan policies would manifest in sub-areasofthecity:Wherearetheconsistenciesandinconsistencies
withthenewgoalsandmandates?Thisresearchalsoidenties
whatstepsshouldbetakentoimplementtheGeneralPlanpolicies,whetherthoseberezoning,changingparking
requirements, or other on-the-ground changes. The Form-BasedCodes amendments of the Zoning Ordinance would provide the
implementing details.
usetypes.Thisisincontrasttoconventionalzoningsfocusonthe
micromanagement and segregation of land uses, and the controlof development intensity through abstract and uncoordinated
parameters(e.g.,FAR,dwellingsperacre,setbacks,parkingratios,
tracLOS)totheneglectofanintegratedbuiltform.Nottobeconfused with design guidelines or general statements of policy,
Form-based codes are regulatory, not advisory.
Ultimately, a Form-based code is a tool; the quality ofdevelopment outcomes is dependent on the quality and objectives
of the community plan that a code implements.
Ecocity Builders is suggesting that a form-based approach to
zoningforUrbanVillageswouldhelpdeneprescriptivelanduseand development guidelines to help achieve a timely transition
from the existing car-based built environment to the Urban
Villages model.
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Urban Village Zone 1 consists of the highest
density and height with the greatest variety of
uses and civic building of regional importance.Vitalitycentersaredowntowns,majordistrict
or neighborhood centers becoming increasinglycompanct, pedestrian oriented and functionally
diverse.Thiszoneencouragescreatingcar-freeareasandbikewaysthatprovideadiversityof
activity near transit nodes.
Massingandfacades(proposed)
Medium to high-density mixed-use buildingsincluding residential, business, entertainment,
civic and cultural uses. Attached buildings formingcontinuous street walls; trees within the public
right-of-way; highest pedestrian and transit
activity.Buildingheightsof4-plusstorieswith
morebusinessandcentralizedculturalfacilitiesthan residences.
Street elements
More compact development with greater mixed-
uses eliminates dependence on automobiles while
helping transit options such as light rail, bicyclesandpedestrianwalkways.Connectivitybetween
buildingstakestheformofbridgesbetweenbuildings allowing more pedestrian accessibility.
Plazas,openairmarketsandfountainsareprovided by public access to new open space.
Sustainability elements
Green roofs and ground level gardens, solar hot
water and solar electric hardware control reducestormwaterrun-oandgenerateon-sitelocal
energy.Acar-freezonecontributestolowervehicle miles traveled, reduced accidents and
local pollution and reduced contribution to globalheating.
Urban Village
Zone 1
Proposed Transect-Based Zoning
Overlay or the City o Oakland
The bands of color in indicate distances andgeneral densities from vitality centers or urban
villages. Higher densities are toward the center
(pinksandreds)zones,whileopenspaceareprioritizedfartherfromcenters.Thezones
correspond to those in our recommendation forForm-Based Codes. This is an one iteration of
our ecocity mapping approach; we have further
renedthisanalysisusingGISraster-basedanalysisas described in Section II.
City o Oakland General Plan and
Zoning Map
TheGeneralPlanreectsthelong-rangevisionandpolicyframeworktoguidedevelopmentfor
thenexttwentyyearsintheCityofOakland.
TheOaklandGeneralPlanconsistsofaseriesofElements. Completed and updated elements incude
the Land Use and Transportation Element, theOpen Spce, Conservation and Recreation Element
(OSCAR),HistoricPreservationElement,andthe
Estuary Policy Pan.
Low architectural complexityLow diverisity o uses
Car-oriented urban core
High architectual complexityKeyholepublic plaza
Pedestrian bridgesMixed uses
Higher Architectural + Biological Complexity
Rootop gardensExisting
Proposed
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Urban Village Zone 2 represents medium density
and height variation from 3-7 stories with
occasionaltallertowersencouragingretail,ocesand multi-family uses.
Massingandfacades(existing)
The massing in the drawing represents the randompattern in an area adjacent to a downtown in
a city or town. Houses tend to be two or threestories. Land uses of multi-family housing and light
commercial spaces are present.
Build out
Thenextillustration,Proposed,showsremovalof a few small buildings and most of a street with
several new larger buildings and considerable newopen space with gardens and small gathering areas.
Street elements
Thecentralstreetbecomespartiallyaparking
areaandtherestisavailableforwalking,biking
andsocializing,forurbanorchardandgardensand occasional small events. Streets that are not
removedexperiencelessautomobiletracand,given the higher density and diversity of activity in
theinnerzones,moreecienttransit.
Sustainability elements
Green roofs, ground level gardens and rooftop
solar provide energy and views of the bioregion
and city. Removing paving helps with groundwaterrechargeandpreventsooding.Asinallzones,
there are reductions in car-related accidents, localpollution and contribution to global heating.
Existing Proposed
Urban Village
Zone 2
Urban Village
Zone 3
Urban Village Zone 3 represents the second ring
outside a vitality center. The center street shows
the approximate mid-point beyond which, movingoutward, density decreases. The illustration labeled
Existingisaresidentialareamainlyutilizedbycars.ThedrawinglabeledProposedfeaturesmore
open space devoted to native plants and birds, foodgrowing, recreation, recycling, sports activities and
foot and bicycle paths.
MassingandFacades(proposed)
Zone 3 shows little change in overall density, butgenerally higher toward the center and lower
toward the outer edge. Zone 3 will be residential,
shifting toward slightly more mixed-use withoccasional corner stores and home businesses.
Existing Proposed
Medium density residential ormVery small private lots
Higher density housingIncreased open space
Pedestrian bridgesHigh architectual complexity
Low density residential ormSmall private lots
Moderate density at edgesIncreased public space in center
Street elements
Smallparkingareasontheclosedstreetsallow
autoandbikeparking.Neighborhoodgardens,
smallgatheringareasandmini-parksappearwhereafewhouseshavebeenremovedinwillingseller
deals.
Sustainability elements
Green roofs and solar hardware provide energy.
Increased open space and ground level gardensreducestormwaterrun-oandhelprecharge
groundwater.Withhigherdensitycenters
relatively nearby and with more variety of uses,Zone 3 residents are less dependent on and
generate fewer vehicle miles traveled than in thecity represented in this area in the drawing labeled
Existing.
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Urban Village Zone 4 represents the last ring
outside a vitality center. In the drawing labeled
Existingthiszoneconsistsalmostexclusivelyoflow-density residential development.
Build out
IntheProposeddrawing,aconsiderablenumberof structures are removed and their materials
recycled. This leaves room for agricultural andnaturallandtoreturn.Setbackscanberelatively
deep.Inthisexpandingopenacreagezone,sports
and recreation would be closer to the inner threezones,bringthecountrysideclosertowhere
people live.
Urban Village
Zone 4
Existing
Proposed
Existing
Proposed
Urban Village
Zone 5
Urban Village Zone 5 represents everything outside
Zones1through4.Itisrestrictedtorecreation,
agriculturalandopenspaceuses.Woodlandsandgrasslands are encouraged to return. Agricultural,
forestryandshingusesareallowed.
Build out
Single family homes are acceptable whileagriculture, telecommuting and small ecovillages
are encouraged, with buildings of typical heightssimilar to European compact villages at 1 to 5
stories, or taller as appropriate. Large areas offorest and agriculture return, along with native
plants and wildlife.
Low density residential ormLarge private lots
Clustering o housesIncreased open space or parks and agriculture
Very low density suburban/exurbanormVery large private lots
Clustering o housesRegional parks
Agricultural parks
Sustainability elements
Farms provide locally grown produce, as shown
intheProposeddrawing,whilesolarandwind
installations provide on-site energy. Bioswales andretentionpondsslowdownandlterstormwater
run-o.Creeks,ridgelinesandothernaturalfeaturescannowberestored.Withfewerpeople
living in this area and thus less driving, a majorcontribution to ecological health is achieved.
Sustainability elements
Farms provide locally grown produce, while solar
and wind farms can provide energy. Minimal
paving and rooftop areas allow maximumgroundwater recharge and radically reduce
run-orelativetotodayslow-densitysuburbs.Biodiversity returns to a city with a much smaller
footprint. Reforestation will be crucial to sequestercarbon from the atmosphere and slow down global
warming.
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3. Create a nancial mechanism or inrastructureand public improvements to support the
Transportation Hierarchy and the Urban Village
AnancialstrategyisakeycomponentofUrbanVillagedevelopment. The City should create clear plans, based on
public input, that identify the infrastructure and other essential
improvements to the Urban Villages concept and how the fundswill be acquired.
Most infrastructure improvements should be considered on a
city-wide basis and could include standards for street furnitureforpedestrianfriendlystreets,bikeracks,electriccarcharging
stations, and innovations such as street lights that dim at
dawnanddusk,inadditiontostandardfunctions.Bicycleand
Pedestrian Master Plans provide a source for infrastructureimprovements that must be reviewed during strategydevelopment.
Since public funds are limited, a strategy that combines publicand private investment should be part of the plan. City funding
shouldbeincludedintheve-yearCitysCapitalImprovementPlan(CIP)budgetsothatasfundingbecomesavailable,urban
village projects can be implemented.
Abasicpremiseofprivateinvestmentistotakeadvantageof
land value premiums - the fact that the value of l and may beincreased by certain public projects or investment, and so it may
makesensethatthosewhobenetalsoshareinthecost.Atthesame time public projects can attract private investment. Possible
funding mechanisms include: Transit and Density Premiums;
DevelopmentDispositionAgreements(DDAs)andDevelopmentImprovement Agreements; Redevelopment Agencies and Tax
Increment Financing; and Infrastructure Impact Fees.
4. Revise the Transer o Development Rights (TDR)Ordinance to establish additional Conservation and
Open Space
Transferofdevelopmentrights(TDR)isamarket-basedtechnique that encourages the voluntary transfer of growth from
placeswhereacommunitywouldliketoseelessdevelopment,
orsendingareas,toplaceswhereacommunitywouldliketoseemore development, or receiving areas. The sending areas can be
environmentally-sensitive properties, open space, agriculturalland,wildlifehabitat,historiclandmarksoranyotherplacesthat
are important to a community. The receiving areas should beplaces that the general public has agreed are appropriate for extra
development because they are close to jobs, shopping, schools,
transportation and other urban services.
TDRisdrivenbytheprotmotive.Sendingsiteownerspermanently deed-restrict their properties because the TDR
programmakesitmoreprotableforthemtoselltheirunused
development rights than develop their land. Developers buythe development rights and use them to increase the density of
receiving site projects; they do that because these larger projectsaremoreprotablethanthesmallerprojectsallowedwhen
developmentrightsarenottransferred.Inadditiontomakingproperty owners and developers happy, TDR solves a seemingly
intractable dilemma for communities: it gives them a way to
achieve critical land use goals using little or no public funding.
Werecommendthat:
-ThePlanningDepartmentlookcomprehensivelyatareasthat
canberevertedbacktoopenspace,greenbelt,creeksandothernaturalamenities,aspartofGeneralPlanand/orAreaPlan
updates, and Redevelopment Plan.
-UrbanVillageZones1and2aredesignatedreceivingsitesandUrbanVillageZones3,4and5aredesignatedsendingsites,with
additionalsendingsitesthroughoutallZonesthatarepartof
contiguousurbancreekcorridorsorotherspecialnaturalfeaturesand open space opportunity sites.
-CityCouncilmodifytheexistingOaklandTDRordinanceto
makethetoolmoreeectiveandsupportiveoftheUrbanVillage
concept.
- Use TDR in conjunction with or in place of eminent domain inRedevelopment areas.
Ecocity Builders crafted a preliminary draft TDR ordinance,
enclosed in the Appendix. It is important to note that our
recommendation is not simply to create high density throughoutOakland,butratherhighdensitycenterscontrastingwith
surrounding areas that have open space. It is also important thathigh-densityareasalsoincorporatenaturalfeatureslikecreeks,
greenbelts, or shorelines, as public amenities so that high density
urban areas may be enriched by natural features. This is animportant quality of life issue.
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Community Outreach & Site Selection
SECTION IV
The Urban Villages model is based on the premise that in order to achieve
long-term sustainability, a c omprehensive and integrated approach is needed.
Ifsuccessful,themodelwillguideatransitionofOaklandsbuiltenvironment
into a new regional vision of economically, environmentally and sociallyhealthyurbanvillagesofvarioussizesandcharacters,poweredlargelyby
clean,renewableenergyandlinkedprimarilythroughwalking,publictransit,greenways,trailsandnaturalcorridors.Wearehopingthatthemodelwillbeadapted to other Bay Area cities to meet goals of greenhouse gas emissions
and carbon footprint reduction, climate protection, sustainable development,
environmental quality, and increased economic stability.
Workingwithourprojectpartner,WesternInstituteofSocialResearch
(WISR)andtheCityofOaklandNeighborhoodCrimePreventionCouncil
(NCPC),weinitiallyselectedWestOaklandtoserveastheprojectPilotArea.CriteriaforselectionincludedthestressorsindicesdevelopedbyOaklands
HumanServicesDepartmentandusedbytheOaklandPoliceDepartmentand
otherstoidentifyat-riskneighborhoods.EarlyoutreachfocusedongettingtoknowWestOakland,thenreningthepilotprojectselectionandlearning
about the pilot community we eventually connected with. Our selection
process involved introducing ourselves and the projects scope, mission
andgoals,conducinginterviews,smallmeetingsandworkshops,gatheringinformation, listening to residents and community representatives and trying
tobetterunderstandthecomplexsocialandpoliticalrealitythatisWest
Oakland.
WesurveyedWestOaklandusingourOaklandGIS-basedmappingsystem and on-the-ground observations of neighborhood assets
(e.g.presenceofparksandpublictransportation)andchallenges
(e.g.lackofparksandpublictransportation)inconsultationwithlocalleadersidentiedbycommunityorganizationsserving
asprojectpartners.Duringthisperiodwefurtherrenedthefocus of our Pilot Area to concentrate on the Lower Bottoms of
WestOakland,shiftingawayfromtheHover/Fosterareathat
wed initially thought would emerge as the neighborhood focusarea. This shift occurred as a natural unfolding of the project
based on our outreach and expressions of interest and positiveengagement.
WeintroducedtheUrbanVillageapproachandsolicitedfeedback
at a series of meetings with community residents and leaders and
workedwithourprojectpartnerWISRtododirectedoutreachtothecommunityinthetargetedPilotArea.AlongwithWISR,we
conducted interviews with a varied cross-section of neighborhoodleaders and other well-informed residents. These interviews
provided initial information about community needs and
strengths,andinformedtheplanningofneighborhoodworkshopsbyidentifyinglikelyparticipantsandpossiblesitesforholdingthe
events. These meetings were used as a basis for conducting anassessment of community needs and strengths, and as a vehicle
forassessingandmobilizingcitizeninterestinparticipatingintheeventual action plan.
The outcome of our initial interviews and survey exercises was asummary Vitality and Needs Assessment Inventory, including an
assessment of natural resources, transportation infrastructureand land uses, and concentrated social, cultural, and economic
activity.
In September 2008, we got a fortuitous boost at the greenbuildingtradeshowandconference,WestCoastGreen2008,
where the Urban Villages project was showcased in a sustainable
design charrette with several hundred in attendance, includingsomeWestOaklandcommunityleadersandresidents.Ecocity
Buildersco-organizedandledthecharrette,whichgenerateda number of useful design ideas and recommendations and
identiednewprojectsupportersandcollaborators.Thecharrette
also enjoyed a positive review in the San Francisco Chronicle,WestCoastGreentacklesasustainablefutureforWestOakland,
SF Chronicle, Oct. 7, 2008.
A project milestone was the establishment of a synergisticrelationshipwithaneighborhoodorganizationlocatedinthe
LowerBottoms(akathePrescottneighborhood)theVillage
BottomsCommunityDevelopmentCorporationwhodenetheirscopeofoutreachasroughly7thStreetto24thStreetand
PeraltatoPineStreet.Weformedapositiveandproductiveand strategic anchor partnership with the neighborhood, with
additionalsupportingpartnershipsemergingwiththeWest
OaklandEnvironmentalIndicatorsProject,OaklandTechnologyExchangeWest,UrbanReleaf,andothers.Webelievethatthe
Lower Bottoms neighborhood constitutes a promising focus areain existing community leadership, vision, and in land use existing
conditions and potential.
Community leaders in the Village Bottoms, we found, are
alreadywell-educatedinissuesregardingland-use,zoning,andsustainability. A primary need, however, is support for their
comprehensive vision for the future and a roadmap and strategythat supports their sustainable economic, environmental and
social development goals. Hence the Urban Villages Project,
we found, is timely and relevant to this community who islookingforawaytodene,organizeandadvancetheirvision
of sustainable community, local job creation and greater socialsecurity and cultural identity.
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Public Services G oo d F ai r P oo r N on e
1 Courts/Police/Halls x
2 Libraries x
Doctors x
Community Health Facilities x
Rec Centers x
Educational Institutions x
Senior Centers x
Child Care x
Hospitals x
Shelters x
Fire Station x
Retail Services
Entertainment x
3 Shopping x
4 Grocery x
Banking x
Food x
Tourist Locations x
Farmer's Markets x
Employment
Hospitals x
Industry x
Gov Buildings x
5 Other x
Transportation
Bike Routes x
Bus Route x
Pedestrian Routes x
BART Station x
Housing
Public Housing x
Single Family Housing x
Multi-Family Housing x
Assisted Housing x
Natural Amenities
Streams/ Creeks x
6 City Parks x
Community Gardens x
7 Historic Sites x
8 Clean air x
9 Soil x
Water x
10 Sun x
11 Wind x
12 Trees and greenery/views to nature x
Inventory o Vitality Attributes or West Oakland Pilot Area
1. PoliceResidents generally said that policing techniquesin their community were often aggressive and
adversarial. Many said that police only typically
enter the neighborhoods with guns drawn to arrestsuspects or question people in a confrontational
tone. So, although there is policing happening, theapproach used by police, they feel,
doesnotmakethemfeelsafer.
2. LibraryResidents said that library services could beimproved. A common observation was that
libraries were the only place where most residents
can access the Internet, but that the short amountoftimeallowedonlinewasinsucienttocomplete
importanttaskslikejobsearchesandonlineapplications.
3. ShoppingAlmostallresidentsindicatedaseverelackofbasic
shopping opportunities in the community.
4.GroceryMapping and interviews show clearly that residents
ofWestOaklandlackaccesstogrocerystoresandhealthy food choices, although an abundance of
fastfood/convenience/liquorstoresabound.
5. EmploymentMappingandinterviewsshowthatWestOaklandlacksbasicemploymentopportunities.
Unemployment is high. Those with jobs, often
Notes rom Analysis and Interviews with
Community Leaders in West Oakland
women with families, typically have to travel long distances toand from low wage service jobs. The long commutes put extra
burdenonfamiliesalreadyatriskduetopovertyandproximityto
crime and drugs.
6.ParksResidentsreportedthatcompetitionforuseofparksandrecreationaleldsbyorganizedsportsteamsisexcludingthose
whowanttoplayinformally.Childrenoffamilieswhocantaordtopayfororganizedsportsprogramsareoftenshutoutoftheir
neighborhoodparkbyteamsfromotherareasinOaklandwho
havemadeadvancedreservationsforelduse.
7. Historic SitesWestOaklandresidentssaidthatthereisnolackofhistoryand
of historic sites in the neighborhood. The problem is that thebuildingsarebecomingdilapidatedandthereareinsucientcommunity resources to repair and maintain the
historic homes.
8. Clean airItisnosecretthatWestOaklandhaspoorairquality.Theresidentsandcommunityleaderswetalkedtoareupsetand
frustrated. They believe that the discussion about l and uses
can help sort out potential solutions and help the communityprioritizefortakingactionstoimprovetheairqualityintheir
community.
9. SoilAlmostallthelandintheWestOaklandPilotAreaiscontaminated due to current or prior industrial use. Some areas
aretoxichotspotsandwillrequireexpensiveenvironmental
remediation if the soil is to be restored to safe levels. Howeverthere still remains a high potential for innovative community
land use strategies such as greenhouse-based urban farmingoperations, and we are currently actively pursing this option with
the Lower Bottoms neighbors.
10. SunTheWestOaklandPilotAreaenjoysmildweather,oftenwithsun,
and the potential for solar thermal, solar el ectric and passive solarheating through building orientation and other green building
methods is generally good.
11.WindAn initial wind analysis shows that although there is a fairly
consistentbreeze,thewindcurrentsarenotquitestrongenoughto support wind energy generation economically. Also worth
notingisthatthebreezesalsotendtoblowdirtyairfromthe
freewaysandPortofOaklandintothepilotneighborhood.Aprogram of tree or bamboo planting could be one way to help
ltertheairandourprojectislookingintotothepossibilities.
12.Trees/Greenery/ViewstoNatureMappingandon-the-groundobservationshowsthattheWestOaklandPilotAreahascomparativelypoortreecovering,less
greenery and fewer celebrated views to nature than other areasofOakland.
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Community Outreach
Urban Relea
In the summer of 2008, Ecocity Builders as part of the projects
outreach process approached Urban Releaf, an urban forestry
nonprotestablishedtoaddressthedisproportionateabsenceofgreeneryinWestOakland.InpartnershipwithUrbanReleaf
sta,EcocityBuildersimplementedaneighborhoodphotographyprojecttoinventoryon-the-groundconditionsinWestOakland.
UrbanReleafstaandvolunteerscapturedexistingneedsand
assets in the community.
TheneighborhoodphotographersidentiedsomeofthegreatestneedsandconcernsinWestOakland,including:
-Agrocerystorethatisntacorner/liquorstore
-Abank-Lackoftrees,parks,andothergreenery
- Access to jobs and job training- Antagonistic police presence and youth crime
-Threatofdisplacementandgentrication
Thephotosonthispagereecttheiron-the-groundinventory,
which the Urban Releaf team presented at a charrette convenedbyEcocityBuildersatWestCoastGreen2008inSanJose,CA.
Community Outreach
Village Bottoms Community
Development Corporation
Our outreach engagement with the Village
Bottoms Community Development Corporationproved to be fruitful. Community leaders
comprised of artists, philosophers, and activists
provide services to the community at-large intheformofaordablehousingandrst-time
homebuyers assistance, business incubation, andcultural preservation in this historic neighborhood.
WeselectedthiscommunityasaUrbanVillage
pilot site because a strong community visionalreadyexistsfortheholisticrevitalizationofthe
Village Bottoms Cultural District.
One of the core projects in the Village BottomsCulturalDistricteortistheurbanfarm.Locally
supportive agriculture, access to food by proximity,
and reducing waste through composting andmaterial reuse are all values and activities
compatible with the Urban Villages idea and canpotentially reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The
communitys vision is to build an aquaponics farm
growingshandthenreusingwaterforirrigationof microgreens. Ecocity Builders and Village
Bottoms leaders attended a training on aquaponicsfarmingwithGrowingPowerinMilwaukee,WI.
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Cultural100BlackMen(BayArea)BayAreaBlackUnitedFundBlackDotArtists,Inc.Gregory Chisholm, SJ,
Jesuit School of TheologyPrescott Joseph CenterThe Crucible
Community & EconomicDevelopmentB. O. S. S.BayLocalizeBruce BeasleyCypress Mandela Training CenterDavillier-Sloan
East Bay Depot for Creative ReuseEllaBakerCenterforHumanRightsHolliday DevelopmentOaklandTechnologyExchangeUrban HabitatUrban StrategiesVillage Bottoms Neighborhood Assoc.WesternInstituteforSocialResearchYMCA of the East Bay
Food Systems and SecurityCenter Street FarmCitySlickerFarmMo Betta FoodsOBUGSPeoples GroceryRalph Bunche School NurseryThe Herb FarmWestOaklandWoodsFarm
Zoom in o Community Assets, Downtown
Zoom in o Community Assets, West Oakland
Environment/Energy/
Planning & DesignCommunity Energy ServicesEcocity BuildersEcology CenterLocal Clean Energy CampaignHood DesignMichaelWillisArchitectsRising Sun Energy CenterStopWaste.orgTransFormUrban ReleafWestOaklandEnvironmental
Indicators Project
Government
Nancy Nadel, CouncilwomanCarlettaL.Starks,Oceof
Councilwoman Nancy NadelCityofOaklandPublicWorksCityofOaklandCommunityand
Economic Development
Community Resources or West Oakland
Mapping Community ResourcesAs part of the community outreach process,
EcocityBuildersandWISRengagedinone-on-one conversations with community-based,
nonprot,andgovernmentorganizationsthatwereknowledgeableabouttheconditionsinWest
Oakland.Wecontactedandbuiltrelationships
with43organizationsinBerkeleyandOaklandworkingtoaddresscommunityandeconomic
development, cultural, food security, andenvironmentalissuesinWestOakland.
Welearnedthroughourconversationsthatsome
oftheseorganizationsmaybeworkingonsimilar
issuesandtheirworkcouldbestrengthenedthroughanetworkforresourcesharingand
collaboration. To highlight the wealth of
communityresources,andtovisualizetheextentof of our outreach, Ecocity Builders mapped the
organizationsandcommunityleadersthatwe,alongwithouroutreachpartner,WesternInstitute
for Social Research, engaged with.
The Community Asset Map is intended to beecientlyusedandmodiedinGoogleEarth,but
is also available to the community in paper form.
Community Asset Map
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Ournexttaskwastohelptheneighborhoodreneitsvision
for its short and long term sustainable development and start
crafting the Village Bottoms Action Plan. Our overall strategywastodivideandthinkaboutthelargerareaasthreemain
zones:theWestOaklandBARTstationareaandimmediateneighborhoods; Pine Street and the Village Bottoms
neighborhood; and the area around Central Station (16th andWoodStreet).
WithinthelargerPilotAreaandinaccordancewiththebroadervisionofOaklandsemergingUrbanVillagesas
prescribedbythepreviousmappingexercises,theWestOaklandBARTareaemergesasthehigherdensitycenter.
Pine Street and the Village Bottoms neighborhood is
strengthened and restored as a l ower density mid-sectionand connector, with increased areas opening up for urban
agriculture and local job incubation envisioned as part ofanewBlackCulturalDistrict,asadvocatedbytheVillage
Bottoms Neighborhood Association. The Central Stationareastartstobedenedasamediumdensityneighborhood
center.
Thenextstepforthisproject,workinginpartnershipwith
the neighborhood, is to try and activate the Action Plan asquicklyaspossiblebyattractingresourcesandappropriate
partners in its development. One of the residents stated
reasons for a fast pace in the pilot neighborhood is that theysee a short window of time to propose their community
vision for sustainable development against what they seeasthetideofgentricationlikelycomingtheirway.They
feel that the sooner they develop and propose a communityinitiated long-range land-use plan and plan for economic and
culturalrevival,themorelikelytheyaretoremainaviable
and growing partner in the community.
Section IVVillage Bottoms Action Plan
While the ecocity vision inspires us to see the city o t he uture re-made wholecloth, West Oakland presents itsel today as a ragged and torn quilt; missing pieces,
that dont t, torn and worn by economic and social orces. The threads, however
worn, are holding thousands o lives and stories together, woven through the abric
o the built environment down to the industrial parcels and the soil itsel where new
roots have been established by descendants o the Arican Diaspora.
As a local but clearly outsidernonprot engaging with an established Black
community in an historic Black neighborhood, our role was to listen, learn and
support; to determine whether our services could be o use, or i indeed we even
needed to be there at all. As we engaged with neighborhood leaders, we quickly
saw that the people who live t here are actively involved in what can be see n as an
exercise in community quilting; repairing pieces, replacing some, and using whats
on hand to re-make the abric o West Oak land, specically the Lower Bottoms, into
something beautiul and sust ainable (culturally, economically and ecologically).
Vision- Activate Pine Street as a retail and cultural destination serving West Oakland
- Increase self-determination, self-reliance, and ecological resiliency within the community
- Prevent displacement through equitable partnerships, land ownership, and
bottom-up planning.
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At Ecocity Builders, this analogy to Arican-American quilting was instructive
and inspiring. Using whats nearby, working within or modiying traditions
and patterns, building a social network through shared labors (the quilting
bee), and working urgently but with an intuitive eye or beauty and or the big
picture.
The plan outlined in these pages attempts to show a communitys emergingplan or a new urban abric t hat includes a vibrant neighborhood and cultural
district. The primary architect is undoubtably Marcel Diallo, a Pine Street
resident, artist and community builder,
who works alongside members o several
engaged neighborhood organizations,
namely the Village Bottoms Community
Development Corporation and nonprot
Black Dot Artists, Inc.
All things reused, recycled and reclaimed
are put into play in this concept o
community building. Truly, the Village
Bottoms neighborhood is engaged in
perhaps the greenesturban experiment
in the Bay Area today. The lot at 10th
and Pine is the kicko or the most recent
phase o the emerging Village Bottoms
plan, where the community has already
built the rst o a series o aquaponic (sh
and greens) closed-system urban arms.
Planter boxes, worm bins and compost
bins are ed by the organic wastes rom
local caes, coee shops and breweries
orming the building blocks o a new
local enterprise. Wood or the aquaponics
systems was milled in the neighborhood
using trees harvested rom Oaklands urban orest. The entire operation is
modeled on a low cost, high yield method pioneered by MacArthur Genius
Awardee Will Allen, operating out o Milwaukee Wisconsin. Allen, the son o a
sharecropper, was a proessional player in the NBA and spent several decades
working in corporate America beore returning to his roots and launching a
Neighborhood history
revolution in urban arming. The Village Bottoms Farm is adapting some o
Allens concepts o intense vertical growing to their operation.
According to Diallo and associates, the goal is to not only grow and distributeaordable, healthy ood, but to also grow sel-determined, sel-reliant people
in the historic Village Bottoms Cultural District. They are already inspiring
Arican-Americans to reengage with the land through urban gardening
education, internships, jobs, compost service, and distribution o aordable
ood through a retail store and armers market on Pine Street.
Diallo sees the arm as part o a larger vision or the Village Bottoms Cultural
District, an eort to maintain a
serious Black cultural presence
in West Oakland in the ace o
rapid gentrication. To date,
the Village Bottoms has seen
the establishment o The Black
New World Social Aid & Pleasure
Club, The Black Dot Cae, Nganga
Diallos House o Common Senseaka The Juju Shop, Cornelia Bells
Black Bottoms Gallery and OT
Jacksons Flophouse.
The Action Plan or uturedevelopment eatures shipping
container artist studios and
retail opportunities along with
elements drawing rom the
cultural mecca o New Orleans
plaza, parade route, museum,
caes and architectural eatures
like street ront balconies and
porches. New Orleans was the
point o entry into America or
many enslaved Arican peoples whose descendants are now residents o the
Lower Bottoms. During World War II, they came to Oakland and the East Bay
to work in the ship yards and steel actories. Their stories are proound and
poignant. Their lie journeys will be celebrated through the oerings o this
emerging cultural district, where the voices and struggles o the past will be
preserved and woven into the present with an eye to a more equitable and
sustainable uture.
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40 41
2006 2007 2008
10'-0"
10'-0"
10'-0"
65'-0"
95'-0"
60'-0"
15'-0"40'-0"
35'-0"
25'-0"
22'-0"
6'-0"
27'-0"
5'-0"
3'
3'
3'-0"
19'-0"
30'-0"
3 ' 2 4' -0 " 3'
35'-0"
15'-0"
13'-6"
13'-6"
Shop#1
Bookstore
Black Dot
Cafe
Mech
M.
B.
B.
cl.
E.
UP
UP
UP
UP Mech
Garage
Artist
GroundFloor Plan
north elevation weste le va ti on s ou th e le va ti on
CommercialSpace#2
E.
B.B.
Balcony
SecondFloor Plan
Commercia l
Space #3
E.
B.
Third Floor Plan
Balcony
RoofDeck
Roof Deck
Pine Street @ 10th[Mixed use development scheme]
Black Dot Cae Opens[ w/ Pacic Cannery Lots]
Pine Street Timeline[design + planning + action]
Black New WorldPerormance Venue
Grand Opening
Village Bottoms Farm[ Aquaponics = Tilapia Fish + Baby Greens]
2009
Village Bottoms Action Plan[Cultural District Armature]
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43Neighborhood opportunities
Vitality Clusters
Extensive GIS analysis and mapping based
on current zoning and land use determined
that the West Oakland BART and TOD was
the most suitable site or Urban Village De-
velopment. However, the emerging large
scale development at Central Station, and
the civic activities o the Village Bottoms
Neighborhood Association revealed a more
complex village structure.
Additional community outreach and
qualitative analysis by Ecocity Builders also
lent urther weight to the idea o a multi-
modal urban village with two dense transit
centers connected by an axis o economic
and cultural activity.
The map at right highlights these two tran-
sit hubs, as well as the e merging economic
activity along the Pine Street corridor.
[Analysis + Adaptation o the West Oakland Urban Village]
The Village Bottoms District
ts within a well established
pattern o economic/retail
development along the west-
ern edge o the East Bay.
However, while the Bay Street
and Fourth Street districts are
typically visited by car, the
Village Bottoms District will
be also be easily accessible
by train, oot, and bike. In
addition, the district will also
be woven into an existing
and emerging neighborhood
that desperately needs retail
access.
Ecocity Mapping provided
the quantitative city-scale
approach to locatingurban villages.
Bay Street,Emeryville
Fourth Street,Berkeley
Pine Street,Oakland
West Oakland BART + TOD
Central Station Development
Black DotCae
Village BottomsFarm
Black NewWorld
Perormance Space
PrescottCenter
Village Bottoms Cultural District
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44 45
A great deal o grassroots neighborhood planning had already taken place at Village Bottoms prior to it being
identied as a urban village site with high potential. Thereore, it was necessary or Ecocity builders to compile
this existing site inormation, while also completing additional community outreach and physical inventories.
These maps are intended to consolidate much o the planning work that has taken place in the neighborhood
since 2006, while also providing a spatial and ormal oundation or the Village Bottoms Conceptual Plan.
Much o the site inormation was obtained rom the Village Bottoms Neighborhood Association. Site invento-
ries, design charrettes, and planning research were also conducted by Ecocity Builders.
Village Bottoms Cultural District at Pine Street
[Site Constraints + Potential]
Viewshed
Land Use Designations
Villages Bottoms Cultural District Vacant Lots
Circulation Networks
Air Pollution
1 ring = 1/4 mile = 5-minute walk
West Oakland BART West Oakland BART
CentralStation
1/4 mi
1/2 mi
3/4 mi
Bike Path
Pedestrian
Auto
Bus
1/4 mi
1/2 mi
3/4 mi
BusinessMix
Community Commercial
Housing &Business Mix
Institutional
MixedHousing Type
NeighborhoodCenter
Urban Open Space
Urban Residential
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47
i. General conceptual Plan
showing Bart, Village Bottomsplan, and Wood street
Village Bottoms Cultural District
Central Station Development
7th Street Corridor
Village Bottoms Cultural District [in context]
Ater several years o analysis, planning, and small-
scale development projects, Black Dot Artists, Inc.
and Ecocity Builders have woven together a design
ramework or the Village Bottoms Cultural District
plan. The purpose o the ollowing plan is to highlight
the balance between grassroots improvisational
development, large scale building projects and the
myriad o interests involved in the neighborhood. The
resulting armature is intended to reveal the overall
neighborhood structure, character and aesthetic,
while maintaining exibility.
The emphasis is on activating Pine Street as a
destination or retail and cultural oerings and as a
connector between West Oaklands traditional center
near the BART station to the east and the nearby
Central Station housing explosion now underway
directly to the north.
Village Bottoms Cultural District
[Conceptual Plan]
Urban DesignParis meets Arica at the Ironworks site where the
browneld is transormed into a dynamic public
space anchored by an Arican American Heritage
Museum, eaturing hundreds o quilts and cultural
artiacts, as well as a tropical plant conservatory.
The plaza and green terraces house a sculpture
garden eaturing tributes to local black heroes,
as well as local artwork. Towers made o shipping
containers mark gateways to the neighborhood.
Brick street pavers mimic New Orleans, sidewalks
are enlarged or cae seating, and rainwater is
brought to the surace.
LandscapeUrban agriculture produces ood and reduces the
neighborhood carbon ootprint.
Rainwater rom the plaza and the museum is
channeled to a dynamic and artul water eature.
A vegetated buer strip is used to lter pollution
rom the nearby reeway and port, while also
unctioning as a productive urban orest.
The Greenway park provides a more direct
pedestrian route to BART, as well as space or an
ecological and agricultural park.
A bike path connects the ormer Ironworks to 7th
street which in turn connects the waterront to
BART and downtown Oakland.
Village Bottoms
Gateway + Farm
Container Housing Inll
Greenway Park
Urban Farm and MIxed Use
Green Building
Vegetated Buer-bamboo-native trees-orchard
Arican American QuiltMuseum-rootop vistas-grassy terraces
Plaza-sculpture garden eat. local
arican american heros-green rainwater eatures
-public space or gatherings
-views o San Francisco pre-
served across siteLandmark Tower
Conservatory-aquaculture
-tropical plants
Bike Path
-connectingIronworks to
7th street
West Oakland
Bay Area
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48 49
Pine Street @ Village Bottoms [activated]
This conceptual illustration highlights many o the key eatures o
the Village Bottoms Action Plan. Higher density buildings with rst
oor retail that use local and inexpensive materials such as shipping
containers. Street lie that celebrates local residents historical
relationship to industry and to New Orleans.
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50 51
Village Bottoms District Gateway [pine st. @ tenth]
The intersection o Pine street and 10th serves as a key gateway to the Village Bottoms
Cultural District. This conceptual drawing emphasizes the importance o higher
density along this street, rst oor retail and produce market, exible artisan/agricultural
space, and enhanced pedestrian corridors. The building architecture combines the
local aesthetic o shipping containers with second and third story streetront porches
indigenous to New Orleans.
Greenway Park[chase st. @ pine st.]
This conceptual image eatures a crucial component o urban village mapping: shiting densities.
Vital areas are urther densied while open space is consolidated or sustainable/ agricultural parks
and greenways. In the Lower Bottoms, much o the open space takes the orm o vacant lots. This
particular cluster o undermaintained lots was identied as having the potential to hasten the walk to
and rom the West Oakland BART station.
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52 53
LookingaheadtoimplementationstrategiesforAB32andSB375,theanalysis
inthissectionprojectsreasonableestimatesofgreenhousegas(GHG)emissions from vehicle miles traveled by personal car and home energy
consumptioninOaklandsUrbanVillagesto2020under:
1)Abusiness-as-usualscenario;
2)AnUrbanVillagescenariowitha20%increaseindensity;or 3)Asolarenergyonrooftopsscenario.
OaklandsUrbanVillagesneighborhoodshavetheirorigininthehistorictrolleylines(LabeledAH,Figure1)andhavebeeninstitutionalizedinthe
zoningpatternsascommercialandretaildistricts.Eachvillagecenteralready
hasamixofusestobuildupon(Miller2005;OIO2007;Schecteretal.2006).Currently,theyarehometoabout117,000ofOaklands415,000people
(WikipediaContributors2007).Accordingtothe2000Census,about70%of
the52,000householdsintheseurbanvillagesaremultifamilyunitsand30%
are single family units.
OaklandsUrbanVillagescansaveOakland160,000barrelsofoilperyear,
oranequivalentto67,200tonsCO2,by2020.Acombinedapproachof20%densicationandsolarrooftopsinstallationwouldyieldtheabovereductions
inGHGemissions,whilea20%densicationinOaklandsUrbanVillagesonly
will yield greater emission reductions than the solar rooftop approach alone.
Greenhouse Gas Benets
SECTION VI
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54 55
Baseline Consumption/Business-As-Usual Scenario
Inthecurrentbusiness-as-usualscenario,OaklandsUrban
Villagesconsumeatotalof1,159,600bbl,or487,032tonsofCO2,peryear.TakingtheaverageareasofactualhomeslistedonCity
ofOaklandpropertyrecords,wetooktheaveragesingle-familyhome to be 1,600 square feet and the average multi-family unit
tobe1,000squarefeet(GISC2007).Weusedtheseaverage
guresintotheBerkeleyInstituteoftheEnvironmentsLifecycleCarbonFootprintCalculator(Jones2005;BerkeleyInstituteof
theEnvironment2007),whichconsidersoilconsumptionina household to include space heating, electric costs and other
energy costs, as well as costs for the construction, maintenance,
water and sewerage. Based on assumptions from the LifecycleCarbonFootprintCalculator,theaverageOaklandsingle-family
householdin2000consumed25barrelsofoilperyear(bbl/y),or
10.5tonsofCO2eperyear,comparedtoonly16bbl/y,or6.7CO2eperyearinatypicalmulti-familyunit(Table1).
Oaklands Urban Villages are shaped by historic trolley linesFigure 1
The conversion from CO2 emissions to presumed consumption of BBL equivalents couldvarydependingonassumptionsoftypeoffuel(naturalgas,gasoline,crudepetroleum)
because they all vary in amount of carbon and amount of useable energy. Farrell &Brandt(2006)estimatecrudetoemit25gcarbonpermegajoule.Thiswouldconvertto.56metrictonsCO2perbarrel.Breretal(2004)estimatesadierentratesavings
bbl to CO2 savings for each case study using regression ranging from .33 low to .52 high.Thedierencesarebasedondierencesinupstreamemissionsofassumed.Naturalgaswouldemit.30metrictonsC02perbarrelequivalent(Aube2001).SinceAlamedaCounty
usesrelativelycleanelectricityandnaturalgas(CARMA2007),thismemoassumesamiddlerangeof.42metrictonsCO2perbblforhousingunitconsumption.
Assumptions o Energy Uses o the Average Home in BBLTable 1
Source: BIE Liecycle Carbon Footprint Calculator
GHG Reductions rom Increasing DensitiesInthesehouseholds,accordingthe2000Census,66%driveto
workforanaverageof30minutesat20mpgeachway(Figures
2&3).Drivingtoworkconsumesalmost990,000bbl/yoremits415,800tonsofCO2annually.By2020,assumingthesamemix
ofhousing,populationtrendsarereectedinhousingstarts,andcareciencyimprovestoanaverageof35mpg,thisconsumption
willdecreaseto650,000bbl/y.Improvedfueleciencyalonewouldsave56,000bbl/yor23,520tonsCO2.
Proportion o Residents by Mode o Transit
Figure 2Source: Census 2000
GHG Reductions rom Installing Rootop Solar
Additionally,Oaklandcanpromotetheuseofsolarenergytosubstitute GHG-emitting sources as currently encouraged by
a combination of state and Federal tax credits and rebates.NeighboringBerkeleyhasgoneastepfurthertoallow
homeownerstoamortizethepurchaseofasolarunitontotheirproperty tax bill: The city pays for the installation and the owner
andsuccessorspayotheinstallationontheirpropertytaxbill.
Using energy saving assumptions from the BIE Lifecycle Carbon
FootprintCalculator,ifeachhomederived50%ofitsheatingneeds from solar thermal to substitute natural gas, this would
reducecitywideconsumptionto840,000bbl/y,ora27.6%or134,232tonsofCO2reductionoverabusiness-as-usualscenario.
Ifeveryhousingunitderived80%ofitselectricityfromsolarPV,citywideoilconsumptioncouldbereducedto740,000bbl/y,
representinga36%or176,232tonsofCO2inreductions.
# households Area (sq. ft.) Tons CO2/HH BBL
single-family home 36,400 1,600 10.5 25
multi-family unit 15,600 1,000 6.7 16
However, more can be done by increasing the proportion ofmultifamilyhousing.Bureretal(2004)studiedtheenergy
savingsofgreenelddevelopmentsincontrasttoinll
developments in the Bay Area and other metropolitan areas. Theyshowed that higher density neighborhoods reduced vehicle miles
traveled(VMT)peryearand,inturn,oilconsumption.
Using estimated reductions in VMT from Burer et al, we project
thatiftheCityofOaklandcanincreasetheproportionmulti-familyunitsby20%inurbanvillageswithlessthan90%multi-
familyunits(Figure4),itcanreduceconsumptionto594,777bbl/y,or249,806tonsofCO2peryear(Table2).Thisrepresents
areductionofabout40%fromthe2000baselinescenario,overandaboveGHGemissionreductionsfromfueleciency
improvements.
Distribution o Commuting Times in MinutesFigure 3
Source: Census 2000
Proportion o Single-Family vs. Multi-Family UnitsFigure 4
Source: Census 2000
Projected
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56 57
Thecostofpromotingdensityismorediculttoestimate,
dependingonthetypesofincentivesoered.Newconstructionisoftensubsidizedwithacombinationofgrants,taxincentives
and demand-side vouchers for low-income families. DensitybonusescouldbeoeredtodevelopersparticipatinginaTransfer
of Development Rights program as we proposed in Section III.
Care would have to be made that rising property values drivenby increased open space and attractive amenities would not drive
out low-income families, or displace the unique cultural heritageof each Urban Village.
Projected Change in Energy Use rom Increasing Multi-Family Units by 20%Table 2
Thisanalysisshowshowacombinedapproachofa20%
densicationandrooftopsolarinstallationwouldsave160,000bbl/y,or67,200tonsofCO2.Whilethisanalysisillustratesgreater
GHG emission reductions from densifying urban villages thanfromrooftopsolarinstallation,itislikelythatasenergycostsrise,
solarpowerwillbecomemoreprotable.Currentinvestments
by homeowners and the public sector will probably pay forthemselves over the lifetime of the equipment. Grid-delivered
solarelectricalenergywouldalsopresentecienciesofscaleover household-scale solar installations. However, such detail is
beyond the scope of this report.
Theestimateswerederivedbyrsttakingthedierencein
carbon emissions emitted by the average single-family home(1,600squarefeet)andmulti-familyunits(1,000squarefeet)
fromagrid-poweredhousetoaPVandthermalunit(Table3).
Next, the carbon savings of the solar PV and thermal units wereused to calculate how much CO2 would be saved by reducing the
electric and gas inputs. These CO2 savings were converted usingthe assumptions in Table 1. The savings are multiplied by the
number of single-family and multi-family homes in each urbanvillage(Table4).
CO2
Emission Reductions by Installing Rootop Solar by 2020Table 3
Projected Change in Energy Use rom 2000 Baseline rom Installing Rootop Solar in Urban Villages (in bbl/y)Table 4
BaselineProjected
(Business-as-Usual) P ro je ct ed (P V) P ro je ct ed ( Th er ma l)
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GHG Emission ReductionsVillage Wireless Network
EcocityBuildersandtheOaklandTechnologyExchange(OTX)
plan to collaborate to reduce carbon emissions upstreamthrough reusing computers and sharing internet. OTX has been
refurbishing and giving away 1,000 computers a year since1998. Research has shown that computers in the home increase
childachievementandentrepreneurship.However,only50%ofAfrican-Americanhomeshaveacomputerandonly40%have
accesstotheinternet(Fairlie2005,2006).SinceWestOakland
is predominantly African-American, providing internet access canbe a way to increase human capital and job opportunities right
at home. By reusing computers, the air pollution associated withmanufacturing and transporting a new one is avoided. B