The Need
Oakland's FY 2010 budget deficit was $31 Million. 17.3% of workers are unemployed.
Upper Broadway in Oakland
Oakland is in need of revitalization. The city's low sales tax revenue, high unemployment, and lack of economic investment are directly responsible for the city's ongoing budget crises. Oakland exports over $1 billion annually in retail sales alone to its suburbs, translating to a loss of over 10,000 jobs and $10 million in sales tax revenue annually. The city is in need of a catalyst to stimulate new investment in areas such as Upper Broadway--the proposed site for what could be the largest retail district in the East Bay; Uptown—the newly formed entertainment district centering around the Fox and Paramount Theaters; and Jack London Square—the site of an ongoing revitalization effort which will soon include the Jack London Market and potentially a new A's baseball stadium.
Oakland's importance to the region cannot be understated. The Bay Area is projected to add 1.7 million new residents over the next 25 years, and could potentially export an additional 500,000 households to the Central Valley. When facing issues such as Climate Change, Peak Oil, energy security, housing affordability, traffic congestion, water scarcity, rising healthcare costs, and the recent BP oil spill, continuing the sprawling growth patterns of the 20th Century is simply not sustainable. The Bay Area must grow smarter—every household diverted away from the Central Valley to the inner core of the Bay Area will reduce CO2 emissions by 47% by dramatically reducing oil, electricity, and natural gas consumption. The abundance of underused land in greater Downtown Oakland make it an excellent candidate for the implementation of smart growth; the main issue at hand is attracting new developments, residents, and businesses themselves.
Streetcars are a proven means to concentrate, accelerate, and enhance the quality of new developments, helping to foster vibrant, attractive, transit-oriented neighborhoods. As a permanent, long-term investment, the Oakland Streetcar would help reshape greater Downtown Oakland (and the city as a whole) into a more livable, sustainable, equitable, and prosperous environment.
Oakland's importance to the region cannot be understated. The Bay Area is projected to add 1.7 million new residents over the next 25 years, and could potentially export an additional 500,000 households to the Central Valley. When facing issues such as Climate Change, Peak Oil, energy security, housing affordability, traffic congestion, water scarcity, rising healthcare costs, and the recent BP oil spill, continuing the sprawling growth patterns of the 20th Century is simply not sustainable. The Bay Area must grow smarter—every household diverted away from the Central Valley to the inner core of the Bay Area will reduce CO2 emissions by 47% by dramatically reducing oil, electricity, and natural gas consumption. The abundance of underused land in greater Downtown Oakland make it an excellent candidate for the implementation of smart growth; the main issue at hand is attracting new developments, residents, and businesses themselves.
Streetcars are a proven means to concentrate, accelerate, and enhance the quality of new developments, helping to foster vibrant, attractive, transit-oriented neighborhoods. As a permanent, long-term investment, the Oakland Streetcar would help reshape greater Downtown Oakland (and the city as a whole) into a more livable, sustainable, equitable, and prosperous environment.
 Oakland exports $1.3 billion in potential annual sales to its suburbs, costing over 10,000 jobs and $10 million in annual sales tax revenue |  Downtown Oakland is dominated by surface parking lots, which present an opportunity for new transit-oriented development |
