Urban development

I live near Lake Merritt in Oakland, CA. My wife and I moved here in March of '07. Lake Merritt is a great neighborhood. It's pretty safe, it has a great community of shops and resources, it has the benefits of being in an urban environment (transportation, events, etc.), but also the benefits of having a tree-ringed lake (walking paths, flora and fauna, etc). In 2002, Oakland passed Measure DD, which set aside $198 million for city park improvements. When we first moved here, there was a sign down near the lake noting future improvements that would be made, to be started in the summer of '07. It's now the summer of '08, and they're just starting construction, but I think the improvements will be worth the wait.

The changes are great examples of long view thinking on the part of the City of Oakland. Check out these pictures: http://www.oaklandnet.com/cedahome_com/SiteData/cedahome/InetPub/wwwroot/main/images/2971.jpg
http://www.oaklandnet.com/cedahome_com/SiteData/cedahome/InetPub/wwwroot/main/docs/1547.pdf

Oakland is a pretty liberal town whose citizens already lead relatively green lives. The upcoming changes reflect this continually growing trend. Lakeshore Ave will be changed from a four-lane road to a two-lane road with a much more friendly walking and bike area. The city is also removing a two lane shortcut at El Embarcadero, extending the grass and making it more pedestrian friendly. This will make getting to the weekly Farmer's Market even easier.

The best part though, is going to be what they do down at 12th St. They're going to take the 12 lane thoroughfare, and turn it into a 6 lane road. The space they save doing this will allow them to put in an entirely new park area where there is now a 3 foot wide "beach" and abandoned pedestrian tunnels that are locked.

All of this construction will make what is already one of the best parks around even better. Lake Merritt is really a deal. Here's the link to the Oakland Recreation site: http://www.oaklandnet.com/Parks/

There is a free botanical garden, a free waterfowl reserve (the first wildlife refuge in the United States!), multiple park areas to picnic or hang out. A running path (which will shortly be converted to real rubber running material) that is about 3 miles long, a library branch, and a boathouse.  You could easily spend half a day walking around seeing all the free stuff, then rent a boat for eight bucks (four bucks each!), and enjoy an hour on the water.

I can't wait for the improvements to be done, making one of the best, most economical sources of recreation in Oakland even better.