Redevelopment Education and Advocacy Project

This project is intended to increase community benefits from redevelopment through increased community participation in Oakland's redevelopment process and application of equitable development approaches to redevelopment. As a part of this project, we have developed a popular education-style training on redevelopment, which has been utilized by several resident organizations.

We are developing curriculum and tools on California Redevelopment Law and community benefits assessments of development projects. We publish and disseminate Equitable Development Watch, an occasional e-newsletter which provides information about major projects and policies affecting Redevelopment Project Areas in Oakland. Finally, we are pursuing a partnership with other interested organizations to conduct an analysis of the past use of redevelopment funds in Oakland as an advocacy effort under the REAP.

Oakland Redevelopment Areas

Redevelopment Documents Available

Inclusionary Zoning Campaign

The Inclusionary Zoning Campaign is organized by Oaklanders for Affordable Housing (OAH), a coalition of community, faith, labor, environmental and housing organizations. In 2006 OAH proposed the Oakland Family Housing Act that would ensure that 20% of ALL new housing developments in Oakland are made affordable to low and middle income households.

Industrial Land Use Policy

The City of Oakland’s Planning Department and City Council are currently considering the rezoning of industrial lands to residential and other uses. Urban Strategies Council argued against the zoning conversions until the city had sufficiently studied the short and long range social, environmental, and economic impacts of the loss of the dislocated living wage industrial jobs. Urban Strategies Council also recommends that stringent criteria should guide decision making on proposals for conversion of industrially zoned land in the future.