The Fruit of Oakland: Transit Oriented Development in Fruitvale

Only 15 miles outside of San Francisco, the Fruitvale neighborhood in Central East Oakland is home to more than 48,000 residents living in 13,000 households. Made up largely of Latinos, Asians and African Americans, Fruitvale is the densest and youngest neighborhood in Oakland. The community is adjacent to a BART train station, easily accessible by several bus connections, and centrally located in Oakland. Today, Fruitvale is considered one of the best examples of successful transit-oriented development that preserves the cultural integrity of the existing community and enhances the neighborhood’s quality of life. The community went from a neighborhood of anguish and disrepair to a neighborhood of hope and choice.

The development known as the Fruitvale Transit Village created dense housing near transit with approximately 68 percent of its current housing development designated as affordable. Traffic calming measures, landscaping, and street furniture created a more walkable neighborhood and established a series of successful inviting public plazas and open spaces. Anchored by a concentration of community services and quality programming – including a public library, senior center, high school, preschool, health care clinic, and job center – the investment in Fruitvale’s Transit Village led to the creation of more than 400 permanent jobs on site. Public open spaces are programmed, managed, and maintained by the Unity Council which conducts festivals, cultural displays, and a weekly farmer’s market. To meet the needs of commuters, parking was increased throughout Fruitvale but alongside the parking spaces came bike racks, bike service stations, pedestrian lighting, bus shelters, and plenty of public seating.

The Unity Council’s model to building successful transit oriented development is strongly based on a community led vision and organizational commitment. Strong leadership, support of elected and appointed officials, and sophisticated development and financing helped get the Fruitvale Transit Village off the ground. With one of the largest rail networks in the country, the Chicagoland area can look to Fruitvale’s model to help transform areas near transit into thriving economic and social centers of a community.

Fruitvale Village - Oakland, California Photo taken by: Emily Tapia Lopez

For additional information:

Fruitvale Neighborhood Characteristics – The Unity Council
Center for Transit Oriented Development – Reconnecting America

NEWS

Local News

CTA ridership rises, but budget worries persist – Chicago Tribune “CTA ridership grew by more than 5 percent last year, but the recession could stifle that growth and lead to renewed budget problems, transit officials warned Wednesday.”

CTA chief: Bus rapid transit 'not dead' – Chicago Sun-Times “CTA President Ron Huberman said the agency’s plans for bus rapid transit is “not dead” despite the recent loss of $153 million in federal funding.”

Parking meters that take coins are on the way out in Chicago –Chicago Tribune “Over time, more sophisticated "smart meters" will appear citywide, replacing today's balky pay-station kiosks that require drivers to walk back to their vehicles to place a time-stamped payment stub inside the windshield.”

City misses out on $153 million – Chicago Sun-Times “Chicago will forfeit $153 million in federal funding to create 10.2 miles of "bus rapid transit" service because the feds refused to grant a 13-day extension to approve one of the burdensome strings attached: "congestion reduction" fees for downtown parking and deliveries, top mayoral aides disclosed Wednesday.”

Top 5 transportation stories of 2008 – Chicago Tribune “For an average of 13 hours and 19 minutes each day, vehicle speeds were less than 50 m.p.h. on at least 20 percent of the Chicago-area highway system, according to the Federal Highway Administration.”

(Almost) all aboard – Chicago Tribune “Canadian National Railway won the right to buy the EJ&E Railway, which traverses through northeast Illinois. The sale, which received unanimous approval on Dec. 24 from the U.S. Surface Transportation Board, will be a real boost to the economy of the Chicago region.”

CTA, Pace bus fare hikes can’t keep up with transit costs – Chicago Tribune “About $7.3 billion more is needed in the next five years simply to keep the transit system in a state of good repair, the RTA says.”

Parking rates to rise at CTA lots in 2009 – Niles Herald-Spectator “The Chicago Transit Authority has announced 2009 parking-rate increases for Park & Ride lots -- including the Rosemont, Cumberland and Harlem/Higgins lots.”

World News

Will a Mileage Tax Replace the Gas Tax? – New York Times “How will states generate money to patch up highways when the gas tax is gone — that is, when cars become so fuel-efficient that they no longer run on gasoline?”

A Bicycle Evangelist With the Wind Now at His Back – New York Times “For Blumenauer, the global financial collapse is “perhaps the best opportunity we will ever see” to build environmental sustainability into the nation’s infrastructure, with urban streetcar systems, bike and pedestrian paths, more efficient energy transmission and conversion of the federal government’s 600,000-vehicle fleet to use alternate fuels.”

As Gas Prices Drop, Public Transit Users Still Save More Than $8,300 per Household – American Public Transit Association “The report calculates the monthly savings for public transit users at $697 per month based on today’s gas price of $1.727 as reported by AAA.”

A Pitch for Mass Transit – New York Times “For years, the division of transportation money in Washington has heavily favored cars and trucks — more than 80 percent of the big transit money from gas taxes goes to highways and bridges, and less than 20 percent to railroads or mass transit.”

Do not ask for whom the roads toll – San Francisco Chronicle “With the help of a six-year, $2.1 million federal grant, Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski is moving forward with a proposal to tax Oregon drivers for the miles they drive.”

Panel wants fuel taxes hiked to fund highways – Washington Post “A 50 percent increase in gasoline and diesel fuel taxes is being urged by a federal commission to finance highway construction and repair until the government devises another way for motorists to pay for using public roads.”

Toll express lanes ease traffic on urban highways – Associated Press “They've been criticized by some as "Lexus Lanes" because of the cost, but in Miami and other cities, it's not just the drivers with fat wallets who can use them: Carpoolers, motorcyclists, buses and hybrid owners drive for free.”

Stimulus’ Doesn’t Have to Mean Pork – Wall Street Journal “Critically, his administration needs to face the problem that those who use roads, bridges and airports do not pay for the full cost of maintenance, nor do they pay for the cost they impose on other travelers by contributing to congestion.”

Resources

Techniques for Assessing the Socio-Economic Effects of Vehicle Mileage Fees – Oregon Department of Transportation
Climate Change Emission Valuation for Transportation Economic Analysis – Victoria Transport Policy Institute

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Contact Information

For comments, suggestions or submissions, please contact Emily Tapia Lopez, Associate, at etapia@metroplanning.org or 312-863-6047.