The Fruitvale Village in Oakland, California, is a 257,000-square-foot mixed-use transit village providing mixed-income housing and community services. Built on former Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) parking lots by the nonprofit Unity Council, the village includes a pedestrian street and plaza, a retail-lined connector between a BART station and the neighborhood, 47 units of mixed-income housing, 114,000 square feet of community services, 38,000 square feet of retail shops and restaurants, and a 150-car parking garage. A health clinic offers a variety of medical and dental services, and a public library and senior center round out the village. The project strengthens existing institutions and revitalizes the neighborhood aesthetically, economically, and socially, catalyzing neighborhood revitalization and contributing the local economy by providing a stable source of jobs and income.
The Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence 2005 selection committee stated:
"Fruitvale Village used a familiar California architectural vernacular, based on pedestrian scale massing and bright color to create inviting public spaces."
The village offers a bold vision for transit-oriented development and responsiveness to community needs. It is impressive in the inclusive process conducted by the Unity Council and the creation of a new public outdoor space that celebrates ethnic and community identity.
Top photo: A street-level view of Fruitvale Village. Source: The Unity Council.
The timeless and artful mass of Plaza La Reina, with its wide steps opening onto the street corner like a gift to the neighborhood looks like it should have been part of Westwood Village from the beginning.
Uptown District in Cleveland revitalized 8.2 acres of formerly vacant land into a mixed-use space and gateway to cultural, educational, and healthcare institutions.
