To say that 2010 was an eventful year for the Oakland Streetcar Plan would be an understatement. While I began work on the project in September 2009, 2010 was where all the grunt work took place. After drafts and drafts of number crunching, drawing, writing, and designing, I somehow produced a 140 page plan by the end of my spring quarter in June. Though I felt like someone had replaced my brain with a big tub of pudding, I was proud to have fulfilled my original vision: to create a comprehensive plan that would be both accessible and insightful for a wide audience, and hopefully lead to positive change for Oakland.
What I didn't anticipate was the response that the plan would receive. My media strategy was essentially send out as many emails to as many writers as I could think of, and hope somebody would write back. Well, they wrote back. I remember how crazy it was to wake up the morning that Chip Johnson's article ran in the Chronicle to see that my website had received over 3,000 views before I had set up a Facebook or Twitter account or even eaten breakfast. In total, there were eight separate articles written and published in 12 major newspapers, magazines, and blogs, generating nearly 35,000 website views and 500 comments. I had no idea the plan would get so many people excited, including Oakland residents, businessmen, property owners, the Chamber of Commerce, two candidates for mayor (Rebecca Kaplan and Joe Tuman), oil company-backed libertarian Randal O'Toole, and even some Germans who read the Financial Times Germany article and contacted me saying the plan was "wirklich genial" (really awesome).
These days, things have calmed down for the most part. I'm back to being a regular student again, though I still occasionally post updates and write blog posts on the exciting world of streetcars (in case you've missed it, over a dozen projects are now moving forward in cities ranging from Atlanta to Cincinnati to Los Angeles to Washington D.C.). I am excited to see Jean Quan become Oakland's new mayor and am always available for lunch (*hint hint*) should she ever want to discuss streetcars. There is cause to be very optimistic about the future of the Oakland Streetcar, given the success of the Broadway Shuttle and the continued backing by councilmember Rebecca Kaplan, CEDA's Zach Seal, and other city leaders.
Thank you all for your support this year, and let's hope that 2011 is an even better year for the Oakland Streetcar!
Daniel Jacobson
What I didn't anticipate was the response that the plan would receive. My media strategy was essentially send out as many emails to as many writers as I could think of, and hope somebody would write back. Well, they wrote back. I remember how crazy it was to wake up the morning that Chip Johnson's article ran in the Chronicle to see that my website had received over 3,000 views before I had set up a Facebook or Twitter account or even eaten breakfast. In total, there were eight separate articles written and published in 12 major newspapers, magazines, and blogs, generating nearly 35,000 website views and 500 comments. I had no idea the plan would get so many people excited, including Oakland residents, businessmen, property owners, the Chamber of Commerce, two candidates for mayor (Rebecca Kaplan and Joe Tuman), oil company-backed libertarian Randal O'Toole, and even some Germans who read the Financial Times Germany article and contacted me saying the plan was "wirklich genial" (really awesome).
These days, things have calmed down for the most part. I'm back to being a regular student again, though I still occasionally post updates and write blog posts on the exciting world of streetcars (in case you've missed it, over a dozen projects are now moving forward in cities ranging from Atlanta to Cincinnati to Los Angeles to Washington D.C.). I am excited to see Jean Quan become Oakland's new mayor and am always available for lunch (*hint hint*) should she ever want to discuss streetcars. There is cause to be very optimistic about the future of the Oakland Streetcar, given the success of the Broadway Shuttle and the continued backing by councilmember Rebecca Kaplan, CEDA's Zach Seal, and other city leaders.
Thank you all for your support this year, and let's hope that 2011 is an even better year for the Oakland Streetcar!
Daniel Jacobson
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