Environment & Transit

2. Issues and Opportunities

Environment Transportation

Oakland’s District 6 faces myriad environmental challenges including looming threats from natural disasters exacerbated by climate change, an inequitable distribution of environmental hazards and co-benefits within the District, and a gap in access to high-quality natural resources. District 6 is vulnerable to a variety of environmental hazards, including sea level rise, drought, extreme heat, earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, and flooding. These vulnerabilities are increasing in intensity and frequency due to climate change. These unequal distributions are dispersed along socioeconomic lines; with whiter, wealthier communities having higher access to environmental resources and their co-benefits and a lower risk of threat from environmental hazard than low-income residents and communities of color.

While 97 percent of District 6 lies within 0.25 miles of green space, which is considered to be a reasonable walking distance, much of that access lies within the whiter, wealthier neighborhood of the hills, as shown in Figure xx. This indicates that low-income communities of color have poor access to such environmental amenities. There is an opportunity to improve the existing green spaces so that residents within walking distance can access high-quality and thriving environmental amenities. This presents a clear need for the enhancement of existing public green spaces and the creation of new ones, as well as for the provision of disaster preparedness and recovery measures throughout the flats in order to provide a measure of environmental equity. The lack of local employment opportunities and insufficient access to public transport makes residents over-reliant on cars for daily commuting, causing overcrowded parking and traffic congestion in District 6. Additionally, public transit options are not safe, are unaffordable, and are often not accessible to low-income residents. Moreover, even the many transit improvements in the district do not cater to the residents’ needs. For example, the shared bike program in Oakland, called Bay Wheels, stops its service area in the Fruitvale neighborhood and has no stations in District 6.

However, certain programs have shown positive results and can be expanded within the District. The slow streets program launched in April 2020 aims to support resident access to essential services, including groceries and food distribution sites. In February 2021, the California Transport Commission recommended the East Oakland Neighborhood Bike Routes for Active Transportation Funds. Expanding and building on these programs presents an excellent opportunity to redesign the streetscape, provide more public transit access, and improve road safety in the future.

Fig. 2.1 Arroyo Viejo Recreation Center | Source: CA Living New Deal 42

Fig. 2.2 Slow street program | Source: City of Oakland Slow Street