Combining the creativity and energy of youth with the commitment, skills, and experience, of adults can turn dreams into reality. This has been the experience of Oakland’s Transportation and Land Use Coalition (TALC), which transformed a trash-strewn brownfield into Oakland’s Union Point Park, now the crown jewel of the area.

“It took 8 years and the work of a lot of people to make this happen,” says Joel Ramos, Community Planning Associate with TALC. The combined efforts of community, governmental, non-profit, and private organizations were necessary to acquire use of the land, clean it up, and fund the construction of this 9-acre park. The public and private collaborators included the Unity Council, the Port of Oakland, the City of Oakland, the Trust for Public Land, and the California Coastal Conservancy. But, says Ramos, “The park’s brilliance comes from the kids who designed it.”

Engaging the young people whose involvement made the park so successful was Ramos’s first big challenge.  “We had to work to get the youths excited about the project when it was just a concept — that’s hard for a lot of people, and I think especially younger people.” But once the youths were on board there was no stopping them. “We walked all around the grounds and talked about what kinds of things they’d like to see, how they’d like the park to feel. And then we looked at where things could go. We even went over across the water to get a view from a distance — I think that was really useful.  It was a really amazing process.

Planners and landscape architects provided tools and guidance, but the group tried to keep adult interference in the design to a minimum. “With UC Berkeley we held big workshops and ended up building 5 really exciting 3-D models of parks.” Then they combined the designs — working together to collect the best parts of each. The park has bayfront access, playgrounds and sports fields, picnic areas, public art, and a performance space.

Engaging the youth was an early challenge, but it was certainly not the only one. Cleaning up the brownfield, negotiating with competing stakeholders, and addressing ongoing maintenance issues were among the chief obstacles TALC and its supporters faced over the eight years from planning phase to grand opening.

The contamination of this former industrial site was significant — the first soil and groundwater tests in 1998 found soil lead levels almost 28 times the California EPA’s recommended limit for soil in children's play areas. Arsenic concentrations were even more problematic; the clean up goal was to reduce levels by about 98%. Additional soil testing was conducted in 2000 and 2002, and Phase I, which included earthwork, was completed in 2004. Landscaping began in early 2005.

Then there was the “youth v. establishment” conflict. The UC Berkeley rowing team wanted to put a facility that would block park waterfront access. “The youths really stood their ground,” recalls Ramos. “They stood by their plans and they ended up with what they wanted — it was wonderful to see them stand up for what they thought was right.”

The final challenge was deciding who would take responsibility for ongoing maintenance. This is a sustainability issue for all public space projects. “This was maybe the biggest hurdle,” says Ramos.  “It took a couple of years to resolve.”  The City of Oakland now maintains the park, with support from the Landscaping and Lighting Assessment District.

Parents and kids both now enjoy the youth-designed playscape, which includes a giant ship with sails. With its sweeping waterfront promenade, bike and pedestrian paths that connect to the Bay Trail, play areas and sports fields, Union Point Park is becoming one of the areas most beloved spots.

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