“What inspires me to keep working to make Alameda stronger is how special this town feels, and the changes I’ve seen over the years. Alameda maintains a unique, small-community vibe, nestled right next to our metropolitan neighbors of Oakland and San Francisco. At the same time, Alameda is making significant strides in creating a more walkable and bikeable town. … If we can make Alameda stronger by adding more neighbors and encouraging active transportation, I truly believe any town can succeed at this. Our commitment to these changes sets Alameda apart as a town that is not only special but also deeply committed to making life better for all its residents, both present and future!” — Maria Piper, community member in Alameda, California, and leader of the nonprofit Bike Walk Alameda
As an island city with a long history, Alameda faces unique constraints. The city’s road network must efficiently balance multiple transportation needs, especially as the population grows. One major redevelopment effort is taking place at the site of a former Navy base, where new housing and commercial districts are being designed with narrow streets, dedicated bike infrastructure, and strong connections to the city’s ferry system. Limited parking requirements further encourage households to rely less on cars and more on alternative transportation.
Recently, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) proposed a project to repave Otis Drive, a state highway that runs past homes, parks and schools. Their plan included only minor crosswalk improvements, despite well-documented safety concerns — the street is dangerous enough that many parents who live on one side of Otis Drive opt to drive their children to the school on the other side rather than let them walk. Commissioner and local blogger Drew Dara-Abrams challenged Caltrans’ plan and encouraged his readers to do the same. As a result of this public pressure, Caltrans is now revising the project, hopefully incorporating a road diet and other safety improvements into the final design.
Beyond individual projects, city staff have updated the pavement management program to align with Alameda’s Vision Zero, Active Transportation and Climate Action plans. Routine repaving projects now incorporate the following:
Alameda’s transportation staff recognize that their wide boulevards are a liability, not an asset. The city is investing in safer infrastructure and alternative transportation to shift away from car-centric road expansion and build a more balanced, people-friendly network.
Most planning projects take years to come to fruition, but sometimes the community comes together to proactively address problems before tragedy happens. A great example of this happened at one of Alameda’s elementary schools. Families were consistently parking in the buffered bike lanes in front of the school, forcing young children on bikes to merge into school traffic. To address the issue, members of the school’s PTSA partnered with the local advocacy group Bike Walk Alameda to launch a "Bike Lane Protection Program." They designed a three-part response:
Bike Walk Alameda covered the cost of materials, and PTSA volunteers managed the daily setup and takedown of cones and signs. To ensure city support, the PTSA also worked with local traffic engineers to obtain an encroachment permit for the program. After a year, the results were clear — parents rarely park in the bike lanes, and even more students are walking and biking to school. Additionally, the success of this program helped prompt the city to include enhancements to the street in its upcoming repaving plan, which will introduce lane narrowing, expanded buffers and quick-build delineators to permanently protect the bike lane — eliminating the need for daily PTSA intervention.
Alameda’s housing policies are evolving to support incremental development and greater flexibility in response to California’s statewide housing plan. Under this mandate, the city must adopt policies and programs that enable the construction of over 5,000 new housing units between 2023 and 2031. While other California cities pushed back against these requirements, Alameda took a more constructive approach. After significant local debate, the city adopted its housing plan in November 2022, enabling new housing to be distributed across both highly resourced areas and historically segregated neighborhoods.
A key part of this effort has been expanding housing options beyond large-scale developments. Alameda continues to promote, facilitate and permit accessory dwelling units (also known as backyard cottages or in-law suites) within residential neighborhoods, providing homeowners with an easier path to add small-scale housing. The city is also streamlining housing approvals and contribution processes to reduce bureaucratic barriers and encourage more incremental development. Additionally, Alameda is upzoning approximately 100 acres of land across four shopping centers, allowing for the development of at least 1,200 housing units in areas that already have infrastructure to support new residents.
Alameda recently earned a Prohousing Designation through the State Department of Housing and Community Development for its commitment to increasing housing opportunities.
In December 2021, Alameda took a major step toward more productive land use by repealing parking requirements citywide. They’re also actively working to reclaim paved spaces for better uses. As part of its regular street repaving program, the city is narrowing streets to calm traffic and improve safety. In recent years, significant amounts of street parking have been removed to make way for cycle tracks, buffered bike lanes and crosswalk visibility improvements.
In addition, they are undertaking ambitious efforts to de-pave areas and build climate resilience. A prime example is De-Pave Park, a former tarmac on the old Navy Base that is being transformed into an ecological park designed to absorb sea level rise. The project will reuse existing site materials and replace pavement with natural habitat, improving both environmental sustainability and public space.
Alameda recognizes that excessive parking harms urban productivity, and by eliminating mandates and reclaiming space for people, they are creating a more sustainable, accessible and resilient city.
In Alameda, communication between elected officials, city staff and residents is an active and ongoing process. They present ideas and gather feedback in several ways, including:
One of the challenges the city faces is that public engagement efforts can sometimes become too extensive, stretching out project timelines and leading to the same, often better-resourced voices dominating discussions and influencing outcomes. So, the city is working to balance broad public input with the need to make meaningful changes that benefit all residents — including those who don’t own homes or drive. To ensure transparency and thoughtful policymaking, city staff regularly present updates at planning and transportation commission meetings, where they receive valuable feedback before proposals reach the Alameda City Council. The council, in turn, weighs in with their own questions and perspectives before making final decisions. While advocates find the process frustratingly slow at times, the city has been receptive to advocates’ feedback while recognizing the importance of trying to get as many non-advocates on board as possible. Alameda recognizes that getting public engagement right is a challenge, and they are actively working to improve.
