Local Market

摘要

During the second gold rush - also known as the tech boom -Oakland, Calif., struggled as neighboring cities flourished. "The city had to figure out ways to attract new market-rate development," says Allison Brooks, managing director of Reconnecting America, a transit-oriented development (TOD) think tank based in the city. In 1999, then-new mayor Jerry Brown set a goal of attracting 10,000 new residents. With little suburban land available, a strong desire to redevelop a historic downtown, and a huge rapid-transit network, TOD was a natural fit. "Oakland is now seen as [strategically located] between the job centers of San Francisco and the suburbs," says local architect Michael Pyatok. And little-used Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) parking lots became developable land. "They are relatively easier to develop since there is onernlandowner with a somewhat public interest orientation," Pyatok adds. The crown jewel may be MVE & Partners' Fruitvale Village. The 2004 mixed-income project connects with busy International Boulevard and a BART station; offers office, community, retail, and residential uses; and has revitalized a low-income neighborhood. Today, there at least six TOD projects across the city in progress or already completed.