Fruitvale Village

Oakland, California

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.

Similar Projects

St. Joseph’s Redevelopment

Oakland, California

A rare combination of National Historic Landmark buildings and infill a fordable housing, the St. Joseph’s Redevelopment transforms a dilapidated former convent and convalescent home into a mixed-use asset for a distressed city neighborhood.

Market Square Place #thisisCNU

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh’s Market Square was historically a bustling hub of locals and street merchants at the heart of downtown. Heavy cast iron buildings and fire-brick masonry gave the neighborhood a unique architectural charm.

Larkin Place

Elgin, Illinois

Larkin Place in Elgin, Illinois, consists of new multifamily buildings—designed to look like single houses—and the reuse of a historic orphanage into apartments and community space.