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Chinatown Complete Streets Plan

Investing in the safety of the Chinatown community for residents and visitors alike.

Status:
In Process

About

Chinatown Context

Chinatown is a central neighborhood in Downtown Oakland bordered by Broadway, 14th St, Fallon St, and Interstate 880. It is a vibrant, bustling neighborhood that is a centerpiece of Oakland’s cultural identity. Unfortunately, Chinatown is also home to the highest concentration of pedestrian and bicycle collisions in the city.

  • 137 pedestrian collisions and
  • 71 bicycle collisions in the five years from 2015 to 2019, and collisions are trending upwards.
  • 30% of streets are on Oakland’s High Injury Network – the 6% of Oakland streets that see 63% of severe and fatal crashes. This is a central equity issue for Oakland, as Asian Americans in the City are 3.5 times more likely to be killed while walking than Whites.

Chinatown is also one of the most transit-dependent neighborhoods in Oakland. Compared to Oaklanders citywide, residents in the project area are almost twice as likely to take transit versus driving alone. 7% of residents also identify biking as their primary mode compared to a citywide 5%. Of the two census tracts that contain Chinatown, 1388 of 3612 households (38%) do not have access to a vehicle, compared to a citywide average of 16%.

Chinatown is a dense area with a high concentration of retail and commercial activity. One-way road patterns create wide, fast streets that are imposing for those walking or biking. Double parking and loading in the street are the norm, which creates issues with pedestrian visibility and conflicts with people biking. This results in a very dangerous pedestrian environment that is in need for improvements immediately.


What is a "Complete Street"?

Complete Streets are streets designed and operated to enable safe use and support mobility for all users. Those include people of all ages, abilities, regardless of whether they are traveling as drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists, or transit riders. Complete Streets are designed to accommodate all methods of transportation to allow people to easily travel even if they are unable to drive a car.

This form of transit equity would bring much more safety and less stress to business patrons by improving access to local institutions and businesses through alternate modes of transportation.

Plan Goals

The Plan will work with community members and local non-profits to identify a set of key corridors with multimodal upgrades through outreach to complete the conceptual designs necessary to advance the project. The conceptual designs created by this plan will be advanced for future construction grant funding opportunities and coordinated with future developments or regional projects that will position Chinatown to safely accommodate new residents and visitors.

This plan will shift the course for Oakland's Chinatown by creating a path for implementation of community-developed and approved projects. This project will address creating safer streets for disadvantaged communities.

Engagement

Coming Spring/Summer 2023