New Beginnings
It's 2018 and the city of Oakland, CA is ready for a new beginning.
Following years of indecision, political strive, and corporate greed, a decision has at long last been made. The Oakland Athletics baseball team will remain in town along with a new ballpark to call home.
The decision to rebuild will serve as a catalyst for redevelopment in the southern section of Oakland. But in the long history of redevelopment in American cities, there are countless failures for every triumph. The decisions regarding what will be built in this area--including housing, employment centers, public facilities, and the new stadium itself--will impact Oakland for generations to come, for better or for worse.
This City Journal will tell one permutation of this story.
Author's Note: this CJ will not strive to show the existing environment of southern Oakland in accurate detail. Not only is this simply not the purpose of the CJ, but this area is a dull, desolate place not worth anyone's time to accuracy depict using the limited tools SC4 possess. This journal will focus on the redevelopment within the area of the Oakland Coliseum complex. Images will include what I have created representing southern Oakland mostly using vanilla features. Don't sweat it--the good stuff will be richly diverse.
Project Scope
The Oakland Coliseum Complex is a massive expanse of land in southern Oakland. The complex includes the Coliseum, and Oracle Arena, and a large surface parking facility. The area is served by the Nimitz Freeway (I-880), Amtrak Capitol Corridor, and Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), the latter also serving the nearby Oakland Airport.
The surrounding neighborhood includes mostly low-density housing, industrial sites, and commercial areas primarily serving the Oakland Airport. The area is situated near Oakland's boarder with San Leandro to the south. To the east lies San Leandro Bay, a sub-body of the San Francisco Bay. Mostly overrun by industrial sites, the natural environment includes San Leandro and Lion creeks and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Regional Shoreline.
The opportunity for something grand presents itself--as it does for a boondoggle of epic proportions. How will it unfold? We shall see.
Up Next... the Plan Unveiled!
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