Cultural Districts as Restorative City Planning

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The Case for Cultural Districts as Restorative City Planning Spring 2023 City Planning 116 | Professor Margaretta Lin A zine by Jackie, Ahmad, and Quentin

introductions

to transform our collective fu-

Oakland, CA– a city shaped

in beauty and joy.

tures, and to re-root our world

by waves of immigration and industry, colonization and capitalism, culture, care, and resistance. If you look closely, its

This zine was created to sup-

converging histories are writ- port the work of the East Side ten on its walls: freeway scars Arts Alliance, the Deeply Rootpainted over with vibrant mu- ed Collaborative, and the Unirals, telling stories both of struc- ty Council, doing on the ground

tural violence and of continued work to build these realities. community care and vibrance. We acknowledge that we are

This zine seeks to tell some of not residents of Oakland, and these interwoven stories to pro- intend to use our privilege as vide context for how the city UC Berkeley students to uplift could begin to heal some of the work and stories of these the harms perpetrated through communities, not to speak for racist city planning policy, and them. We step into their space

to highlight the visions for a with open minds and hearts cultural zone in East Oakland to recognize the pain caused that community members, art- through generational injusists, and activists are working tices. We are here to engage towards.

in their long lasting fight for

We believe that creating spac- representation of cultural arts es in our cities to celebrate cul- within Oakland, as a form of ture and arts has the power to resilience and not as a marketing tactic. connect people and place,

Further, we would like to acknowledge that we reside on the territory of Xučyun, the land of the Chochenyo speaking Ohlone people. We recognize that, as residents of Alameda County, we benefited and continue to benefit from the use and occupation of this land. We want to make visible

the Native peoples who have

had, and contine to have, their voices, rights, and land stolen: each of the structures of injustice that we discuss in this zine are rooted in colonialism; efforts for restoration must be decolonial. By offering this land acknowledgement, we affirm Indigenous sovereignty and commit to amplify the beauty of cultural diversity.

history and context: redlining, redevelopment, and “urban renewal”

Above: the HOLC Redlining Map of Oakland, and the swath cut through Oakland’s neighborhoods to build Interstate 980 in 1978.

Redlining maps and discriminatory lending policies segregate Black and Brown communities in areas with no access to economic opportunity, shaping the social geographies and lived experiences of Oakland residents into the present day.

Freeways and urban renewal cut through thriving Black and Brown neighborhoods labeled as “undesireable” and replace them with barren roadways and housing developments. As homes and businesses are bulldozed, communities are separated from each other and from economic and social opportunity.

City planning has been an intentional force for racial violence in Oakland, but not without community resistance.

Children watch as a house gets bulldozed; West Oakland 1968

14th Street Looking Toward Downtown from West of Brush St., 1956 and 2015.

images via Connect Oakland

“The redevelopment of Oakland in the 1960s leaves us with a rich picture in which racialized lending practices and discriminatory zoning laws created urban blight, but also instigated a lasting and radical liberation movement,” -- Moriah Ulinskas, Places Journal

from the archives: emory douglas & the black panthers Revolutionary Artist of Black Panther Party, Minister of Culture … Douglas’s work was “to provoke a new consciousness in the community. His work revealed the causes of oppression and most importantly, encouraged the self-empowerment necessary to bring about change,” (Black Panther, the Revolutionary Art of Emory Douglas p 20).

Art has long been a tool to bring people together, to give a voice to those who would otherwise go unheard, and to make visible and possible a future that was previously unimaginable.

art as resistance art art as as resistance resistance art as restoration art art as as restoration restoration today today in in oakland: oakland: Alice Alice and and 14th 14th St. St. Cultural Cultural Arts Arts Mural Mural

Arts are the only universal forms of expression and communication. The designers of this mural captured the prevailing historical forces of culture within every one of Oakland’s corners while connecting with the community’s needs for how they wanted to be represented.

They included riots from the Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts, the story of Chinese immigration from the Seniors in Hotel Oakland, and other stories from community neighbors to the mural.

Photos of Alice Street through the ages, via the documentary “Alice Street.”

Unfortunately, the murals are not visible anymore due the construction of a large apartment complex in the parking space. The mural brought the communities together to begin a movement in which they danced to the Oakland planning commission’s office, but the office decided to go through with the process disregarding the community’s voice.

The mural was not only a catalyst for social change and addressing the issues that have been existing for centuries, but it was a pathway for different cultures to learn from one another and create relationships through artistic expression. It was a representation of hope and peace for one another.

“the arts are central to creating thriving connections and community!”

- elena serrano

the case for a cultural district Oakland has a long and rich history of cultural artists and activists building movements of resistance and restoration in the face of injustices.

Karla Guerra of the Unity Council tells us that establishing a Cultural Arts District in East Oakland is an opportunity for the city to invest in the maintenance of this neighborhood’s cultural heritage, to prevent displacement of its already marginalized communities, and to begin to heal historical harms. Cultural Districts have been found to promote equitable development, uplift arts and culture, and protect rich cultures from disappearing.

These histories are inextricably woven together: redevelopment pushed Black families to East Oakland, and the development of the freeways that cut through the city allowed extensive settlement by new immigrants to the Fruitvale area. Waves of Mexican and Central American immigrants to Fruitvale have made According to Elena Serrano of that district the major Latino culthe East Side Arts Alliance: tural center of East Bay. While Fruitvale and East Oakland are culturally rich, they are still dis- By creating space for invested in by the city, and bear cultural arts and conthe brunt of decades of racist nection in the city, these city planning policy. Today, they organizations are not face displacement and gentrification. only providing social Organizations like the Unity Council and the East Side Arts Alliance work to uplift these communities and meet their needs-through affordable housing, the creation of community gathering places and cultural centers, and the hosting of cultural arts events.

services, but creating places for people to gather and exchange ideas; to be inspired, activated, and healed.

Art Art brings brings beauty beauty to to space space and and to to place. place.

Above & Below: Unity Council’s Dia De Los Muertos Festival in Fruitvale

Above: East Side Arts Alliance Malcolm X Jazz Festival Below: East Side Cultural Center

visions of a cultural hub for east oakland

by the east side arts alliance

“oakland tops the list of most gentrified cities in the US... this leads to displacement, erases the history and cultural identity that a neighborhood has... cultural districts have been recognized to promote equitable development and protect the cultural heritage of marginalized communities, to correct the history of violence.”

- karla guerra, the unity council

This vision of a community hub at Reconstruction Plaza on International Boulevard is a way to preserve culture and foster well-being in East Oakland. The plan includes multicultural programming to keep the space active; resources for local artists and community members; cultural restaurants; a community garden.

This vision was collaboratively dreamed by community members, artists, and activists.

Every neighborhood should have one!

case case study: study: san san francisco’s francisco’s cultural cultural districts districts Established in 2018, San Francisco’s Cultural Districts Program is a “place-making and place-keeping program that preserves, strengthens, and promotes cultural communities,” in ten cultural districts across the city. what is a cultural district?

The city defines a Cultural District as “a geographic area of location within the City and County of San Francisco that embodies a unique cultural heritage because it contains a concentration of cultural and historic assets and culturally significant enterprise, arts, services, or businesses and because a significant portion of its residents or people who spend time in the area or location are members of a specific cultural, community, or ethnic group that historically has been discriminated against, displaced, and oppressed.”

goals To preserve and promote diverse communities’ cultural assets, events, and way of life; To amplify and support the communities’ cultural traditions and improve the quality of life for focus areas Cultural Heritage Preservation, its members; To coordinate City and community information, Tenant Protection, Arts and Culture, Land Use, Economic partnerships, and resources to stabilize communities and Development, Cultural prevent displacement Competency

political structure and funding The program is coordinated by the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development, in collaboration with the Office of Economic and Workforce Development, SF Planning, and Arts Commission.

Hotel tax revenue funds the program, diverting approx. $3 million annually that could otherwise gentrify the city back into its arts, culture, and community.

community partnerships & sovereignty The Cultural Districts Program works to divert resources into these communities, to support their ongoing self-determination. The role of the city is not top-down planning but ongoing partnership and support.

Grassroots community organizations steer the districts, using festivals, celebrations, resource fairs, activations, and education to strengthen their communities.

readings and resources readings and resources readings and resources readings recommended by the east side arts alliance:

other cities are doing it too!

Ecocity Berkeley - Richard Register The Battle for Home - Marwa Al-Sabquni Street Fight - Janette Sadik-Khan American Babylon - Robert O. Self No There There - Chris Rhomberg Visions of Peace and Justice Creative Community: the Art of Cultural Development - Don Adams and Arlene Goldbard 100 Families Oakland: Art and Social Change - Dr. Sonia BasSheva Mañjon

Check out the Minneapolis Cultural Districts (part of Minneapolis 2040), NOLA Grassroots Plan, and the NYC Cultural Plan.

Other notable US cities with cultural plans are: Austin, Washington DC, Raleigh, Boston, Chicago, Boise, & Dallas.

oakland organizations and resources: The Deeply Rooted Collaborative The Unity Council Community Archival Resource Project The East Side Arts Alliance The Black Cultural Zone Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice The Village The Oakland Asian Cultural Center Malonga Arts Residents Association Lao Family Community Development

huge thanks to Elena Serrano, Karla Guerra, Aubrey Pandoori, Margaretta Lin, Amy Chu, our classmates & friends, & everyone advocating for a future rooted in restoration and justice.