Lake Merritt Master Plan
City of Oakland
Oakland, California

The 155 acre tidal estuary known as Lake Merritt is the East Bay's central urban space and is often called the "Jewel of Oakland." However, Lake Merritt is unequipped to fulfill its role as a major public park and has not achieved its full potential as a recreational destination.

murakami/Nelson is part of a team of architects, landscape architects, and city planners, led by Wallace Roberts Todd, that was formed to investigate ways to improve the effectiveness of Lake Merritt as Oakland’s central public park.

The City of Oakland's Lake Merritt Master Plan has provided a coordinated vision and a detailed plan for development of Lake Merritt as a recreational park and wildlife refuge integrated into the urban setting of Oakland. This plan will be accomplished with five major improvements: the park will be made larger, amenities will be enhanced, an estuary connection will be initiated, park programs will be enriched, and maintenance will be upgraded.