NYT Arts article- Tassafaronga Village (Oakland, Woodland: violent crime, neighborhood, income)

[T. Damon]

Great article today in the New York Times Arts Section about the mixed income development Tassafaronga Village in Oakland, it looks beautiful and seems to be a wonderful salve for the community replacing the torn down freeway.

As an architect, I am always excited to see how a development in a struggling area can bring discernible positive change to the surrounding community. Oakland is fortunate that there are so many creative folks in the bay area design community that when hooked up with local leaders can find opportunity to really change the dynamic of a neighborhood with a few built projects.

How is it perceived by the locals? I am jealous that so much interesting architecture is happening in Oakland, lots of pioneers seeming ready to invest in all types of projects, large and small in the area.

I know that so many bemoan "gentrification" but it seems that Oakland readily maintains its scrappier "keeping it real" attitude even as the city transforms and evolves. I am always rooting for Oakland and am ready to bypass exploring The City so much when I visit friends living there and make more trips across the Bay where the real action seems to be happening.

[Nineties Flava]

Originally Posted by T. Damon

Great article today in the New York Times Arts Section about the mixed income development Tassafaronga Village in Oakland, it looks beautiful and seems to be a wonderful salve for the community replacing the torn down freeway.

As an architect, I am always excited to see how a development in a struggling area can bring discernible positive change to the surrounding community. Oakland is fortunate that there are so many creative folks in the bay area design community that when hooked up with local leaders can find opportunity to really change the dynamic of a neighborhood with a few built projects.

How is it perceived by the locals? I am jealous that so much interesting architecture is happening in Oakland, lots of pioneers seeming ready to invest in all types of projects, large and small in the area.

I know that so many bemoan "gentrification" but it seems that Oakland readily maintains its scrappier "keeping it real" attitude even as the city transforms and evolves. I am always rooting for Oakland and am ready to bypass exploring The City so much when I visit friends living there and make more trips across the Bay where the real action seems to be happening.

I've been to Tassafaronga Village (Locally known as the 8-5 Ville) a couple times since the remodel. Although some violent crime still happens - most notably there was a homicide a year ago - it's a far cry from what it used to be; it wasn't a stretch to say it was one of the worst housing projects in the nation before the remodel. The current buildings are indeed beautiful and it is more genuinely mixed-income than it was previously. While the surrounding Woodland neighborhood is still very economically depressed and among one of Deep East Oakland's most violent, the Tassafaronga Recreation Center is a great resource for kids in the surrounding Woodland area as well.

Here's two of my own photos of Tassafaronga Village: