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Revitalizing Richmond
Richmond, CA: People thought it was a perfect example of urban blight. What they didn't realize was that it could become a great example of urban renewal.
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Easter Hill, overlooking the Bay, was originally built as a site for public housing for workers after World War II. Built with the soundest of foundations -- a diverse community, community services, and a well-planned design, the area foundered after the war. It needed to be cleaned up and revitalized -- fast. Then, as now, the housing meets a great need and is in great demand. Then, as now, its founding principles are sound. Richmond was ready for a new incarnation.
The residents of Easter Hill faced problems that made daily life difficult: lack of space for their kids to play, spaces closed off to traffic that unwittingly welcomed vandalism. The situation was gradually becoming unsupportable.
Underused, abandoned properties in Easter Hill only seemed to invite more crime as the residents fought to stop the decay of their neighborhood with few resources. The surrounding areas of Richmond were affected by Easter Hill as well; like an urban form of root rot, its neighbors were fighting to keep their communities together as well.
Enter the Housing Authority of Richmond and Calthorpe Inc. Together they worked closely with Richmond residents to design a community that could sustain and develop livable, comfortable growth.
In many areas, decisions about the quality of life in neighborhoods get made by the city administration with little or no input from the residents themselves: If the city decides they're going to build a freeway overpass through your house, it's going to happen, and that's that. The Housing Authority of Richmond knew they wanted a different process, so they hired Calthorpe Inc. to ensure it was a collaboration between all involved parties. An innovative urban design firm that makes community needs a priority, Calthorpe Inc. involved the residents as an essential part of the planning process every step of the way.
Once the complex process of reimagining Easter Hill was laid to rest, Calthorpe and the Housing Authority put together a proposal to HUD (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development). The Institute of Urban & Regional Partnerships at the University of California, Berkeley, came in to monitor the impact of revitalization of Easter Hill.
The Easter Hill proposal was a success. Now the residents of Richmond, CA are in the process of choosing the developers and builders to make their plans a reality.
Photos and information courtesy of Calthorpe, Inc.
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