Drawing by ROMA Design Group

Oakland Estuary Plan                                                                   Oakland, California

murakami/Nelson, as consultants to the ROMA Design Group, participated in the master planning of the Oakland Estuary, encompassing 4-½ miles of shoreline and 980 acres of urban waterfront. The area includes a mix of office, entertainment, housing, live work, warehousing, light and heavy industrial, civic recreational, restaurant, and wholesale land uses. The challenge of this project was to integrate the waterfront of Oakland into the city, providing access to and along the water. Existing viable land uses were encouraged to remain and, in some cases, expand. Catalyst projects were suggested to unify strategic areas which would, in turn, spawn new development opportunities. The study developed an implementation strategy that capitalizes on the waterfront as an amenity. Key project elements included intensifying Jack London Square by concentrating entertainment/office development along Broadway and within Jack London Square, new public open space redevelopment at the 5th to 9th Avenue area, a new waterfront boulevard, a waterfront promenade, encouraging housing, and creating new open space and play fields for the citizens of Oakland.