A variety of groups and local government entities are at work on plans for redevelopment of the Coliseum area and surrounding communities and shorelines.
The City of Oakland’s Coliseum Area Specific Plan (2015) not only explores plans for redevelopment but also details improvements needed to the neighborhood’s stormwater collection and conveyance systems to improve their resilience. These include realigning a local creek reach, adding more permeable surfaces such as rain gardens and street landscaping, and new equipment to clean stormwater before it joins the Bay.
The All-Bay Collective team participating in the 2017-2018 Bay Area Resilient by Design Challenge is tasked with coming up with some innovative designs and plans for the area surrounding San Leandro Bay. The area is divided by jurisdictional and infrastructural boundaries but shares the risks of sea level rise and groundwater flooding. This body of water connects the Oakland Coliseum area, the City of Alameda (main island), Bay Farm Island, the Oakland International Airport, and the San Leandro watershed. As of January 2018, the team was exploring three core adaptation ideas: 1) Tidal Cities, where rising tides and groundwater can be accommodated within the urban edge; 2) Resilient Corridors, which allow for continued mobility despite changing sea levels; and 3) Resilient Equity Hubs, a new governance model to create alliances among agencies, community advocates, and residents that go beyond current jurisdictional boundaries. Stay tuned – AcclimateWest will be covering this effort in our next blog!
The East Oakland Collective also has a new grant to continue exploring resilience planning from the community perspective.
Regional agencies are also trying to raise the bar on regional resilience, and address issues too big and too complicated for local governments and communities. A new report from the Bay Area Regional Collaborative details six steps and four case studies in regional resilience, including a case study on the challenges of protecting Oakland’s transportation hubs in the coliseum zone.