By Vu-Bang Nguyen

On Tuesday, Sept. 4, the East Palo Alto City Council approved the Ravenswood Business District Specific Plan (the Plan) after hundreds of hours of community meetings, workshops, public hearings and informational meetings.

For more than three years, the Envision-Transform-Build East Palo Alto Coalition, consisting of Community Development Institute (CDI), Peninsula Interfaith Action (PIA) , Youth United for Community (YUCA) , and Urban Habitat (through the Great Communities Collaborative), has been engaging East Palo Alto residents to work on the Plan process.

The stretch of land in the northeastern portion of East Palo Alto is mostly industrial with various vacant parcels strewn throughout the area. It is the last large swath of land that can be developed in a community that is already built out.

Case Study Says Housing and Transit Inequities Add to Regional Problems; Offers Answers

OAKLAND, CA -- Long-distance commuting isn’t healthy for workers or the environment. That's one of the conclusions by Urban Habitat and the Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California in their new study, "Moving Silicon Valley Forward."  The study, which focuses on the costs of inequitable development in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties, also offers insight and policy recommendations for Silicon Valley jurisdictions. 

“Moving Silicon Valley Forward” asserts that the lack of affordable housing and reliable local transit in the Bay Area region, especially in Silicon Valley, is both an economic and environmental issue. Research conducted over several years outlines the impact on low-income workers when they are forced to commute long distances by auto because they cannot afford to live near their jobs and because reliable transit alternatives are not available.

The City of El Cerrito Environmental Quality Committee Presents: The New Metropolis, Building a Sustainable and Healthy Bay Area in the Age of Global Warming

Saturday, February 4, 2012,10 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Program starts at Rialto Cinemas Cerrito
10070 San Pablo Avenue. Doors open at 9:30 a.m.

Come to a FREE SHOWING of this documentary about America’s "first suburbs and join in the community dialog. It will bring together policy makers and community members to discuss strategies for urban and suburban revitalization and environmental sustainability in the Bay Area.

The New Metropolis illustrates how many of America’s original suburbs are now facing crisis: a dwindling tax base, population and business loss, decaying infrastructure, increased demographic tensions and middle class !ight. Hear from award-winning filmmaker Andrea Torrice, local political leaders and other guest speakers in a discussion about local responses to the topics raised in the film.

Torrice will show segments from her recent PBS series, The New Metropolis, as well as premiere a new segment about the Bay Area, including a clip on Urban Habitat and Pleasanton. 

Following the screening join the community discussion at Nong Thon restaurant at 10086 San Pablo Avenue.

Please RSVP to 510-215-4350 or green@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us

A significant amount of housing and job growth and transportation investments are expected for Santa Clara County and the rest of the Bay Area. How and where we grow and invest will have major implications for community health, environmental sustainability, economic vibrancy, and social equity. Make sure the constituencies you represent and work with have a voice. Attend the following meeting to:

    * Learn more about the Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS)/Plan Bay Area
    * Take part in a conversation about what it means for your community
    * Brainstorm ideas about how you and your networks can get involved

When: Wednesday, June 1, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Where: Portable classroom, Peter Pan Avenue, Capitol Park, San Jose

RSVP: http://act.greenbelt.org/site/Calendar?id=100641&view=Detail  
For more information: Email or call, Vu-Bang Nguyen at vubang@urbanhabitat.org or 510-839-9510 x318

Hosted by: Greenbelt Alliance, Public Advocates, Sierra Club, Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition, Silicon Valley Leadership Group, TransForm, Urban Habitat, Working Partnerships

Food and refreshments provided.

Urban Habitat is teaming up with Vietnamese Voluntary Foundation (VIVO) to effectively advocate for affordable housing and transportation equity for low-income communities and communities of color in Eastside San Jose.

Please attend the first meeting of a Sustainable Communities Strategy presentation by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission at VIVO on Tuesday May 10, 2010: 2260 Quimby Road, San Jose, CA 95122.

The San Jose Flea Market has been a historic site filled with culture and economic opportunity for low-income residents and new immigrants. Since its initial establishment almost 50 years ago, the market has been a place where vendors can sell a variety of goods at low rent costs in areas with high foot traffic. The market serves as an entrepreneurial incubator. It fosters socioeconomic mobility for predominantly low-income, minority vendors. For low-income shoppers, it provides critical access to cheap, healthy produce and affordable household items. Additionally, it is a vibrant social space that houses community-building cultural festivals and events.

The city plans to build BART on this track of land, which can potentially displace the South Bay flea market community and its vendors. La Pulga (a two-part short film) explores the conflicts between an existing community's economic livelihood and an environmentally responsible land use plan and reveals the complexity of urban issues and social justice in a changing city. It demonstrates the need for a strong community voice in the city’s decision-making process. Urban Habitat is currently following the gentrification/displacement implications related to the San Jose BART extension and the policies necessary to combat the displacement of existing communities.  

Generous funding provided by the Castellano Family Foundation
Produced by Henry Servin andAlina Kwak
Directed by Rene Picazo 

On Wednesday March 20, 2011, Urban Habitat and Sunnyvale Cool are sponsoring a presentation on the Grand Boulevard Initiative with the following organizations: American Planning Association-Northern California, Strategic Economics, Valley Transportation Authority, ReConnecting America, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, City of Sunnyvale, and Greenbelt Alliance.

Come hear speakers from VTA, Strategic Economics, and ReConnecting American discuss Bus Rapid Transit service along El Camino Real, economic/environmental impacts of clustering jobs and homes on a transportation corridor, and successful corridor development along streets such as El Camino Real.