Urban Design

A proposal for the South Berkeley Specific Plan, presented to the City of Berkeley, CA, Spring 2015.

The southernmost point of Adeline Street's public right-of-way in Berkeley is wider than a football field. My proposal to the city included the transformation of this dramatic surplus of vehicle space into entirely new city blocks flanked by two smaller streets on either side. In addition to re-establishing a human scale to the area, the proposal would create approximately 290 housing units and 40 retail spaces. In fiscal terms, the transformation would turn an unnecessary maintenance expense into a net positive for the City of Berkeley through the sale of parcels and subsequent property taxes garnered. 

Beyond the infill-block concept, my contributions to the larger proposal included the creation of a 3D model of South Berkeley, which allowed our team vastly greater flexibility in testing competing design concepts.

See full proposal here.

A sample of existing conditions analysis for the South Berkeley Specific Plan.

A photo simulation of a 'pavement to plaza' conversion in the Temescal neighborhood of Oakland, California.