What we mean by green:

• Pedestrian plaza with "low flow" creek as central feature
• Ecological design—design with nature
• Urban habitat to bolster local biodiversity
• Demonstration of the correlation between the creation of a great public place and increased economic vitality
• Demonstration of a healthy urban “ecological footprint”
• Live rooftops and terracing
• Increased transportation alternatives
• Increased housing near jobs/reduction of auto dependence
• Energy conservation, solar orientation of buildings
• Additional “green building” methods and materials used

Restaurant patrons enjoy the creek environment as they lunch outside or stop for coffee and conversation…Students travel to and from the University, walking their bikes alongside…Movie-goers line up for a film, and sight-seers, school groups and visitors enter and exit the museums on the north side of the plaza…UCB conference participants arrive via BART, making their way towards the hotel while admiring their new surroundings, briefly stopping at a kiosk with information about Berkeley’s Downtown and nearby Arts District.

Bus Rapid Transit buses arrive and depart frequently near the plaza, adding to the flow of visitors, residents, and commuters in the heart of downtown…Added housing at locations close to BART and to the new BRT bus routes provides opportunities for more people to live close to their jobs in Downtown and on the UC campus while all the Bay Area is just a transit ride away…The new housing, includes affordable apartments and is designed to minimize energy consumption.

Within this green urban oasis, human voices, and sounds of running water and singing birds come alive without the usual competition from cars and traffic. It is a beautiful downtown center celebrating Berkeley’s natural and architectural past while demonstrating a commitment to a sustainable future.

According to Project for Public Spaces, an organization dedicated to creating great public places, the best downtowns emerge when communities are guided first and foremost by a vision. We believe that a green Downtown center will provide a wealth of aesthetic, recreational, social, economic and environmental benefits to our city. We believe further that it will be an inspiration to those who believe cities can be leaders in energy conservation and restoration of a healthy relationship between society and nature. We hope that you will join with us in working towards this realization.