Case Studies

The sky’s the limit when it comes to urban farming, as RAD Urban and Top Leaf Farms have proven with their project at 2201 Dwight Street, in Berkeley, CA. The CCLR team visited the property to speak to Benjamin Fahrer, co-owner, principal designer and farm manager at Top Leaf, and Jason Laub, RAD Urban’s VP and Director of Operations, to learn more about the ultimate creative use of an oft-ignored space: rooftop farming!

At CCLR, we’ve been hearing a great deal of interest lately about landfills.  This sparked our April workshop in San Jose, CA, where Jeff Ludlow, Principal at Langan Engineering, gave two presentations about landfill post-closure redevelopment.  Other communities have reached out with questions about capping landfills or the feasibility of building on landfills.  Landfills pose unique challenges, but they also offer powerful opportunities for redevelopment. 

TOD Technical Assistance Initiative

Here at CCLR, we’re deeply interested in Transit Oriented Development (TOD). Redeveloping vacant or underutilized properties with an eye toward transit, mobility and access is a best practice, and helps promote sustainable, economic growth, and community health. Consider that compared to sprawl, brownfields redevelopment projects lower vehicle miles traveled and greenhouse gas emissions by 32 to 57 percent, and a big part of that is TOD.¹

The Center for Creative Land Recycling, in partnership with the CA Department of Toxic Substances Control held a free half-day workshop and walking tour in Vista, focusing on recycling underutilized land for economic development, renewable energy, and affordable housing.

The fourth biennial Sierra Fund conference, focused on finding ways to reclaim and remediate mine-scarred lands in the Sierra, took place at the Sacramento State University on May 8th and 9th. The full slate of programming was kicked off by Elizabeth “Izzy” Martin, CEO of the Sierra Fund, who spoke about the grip that absentee landowners have over the land in the Sierra. The stage for a frank conversation about land-use and equity was further set by Lawrie Mott, a former scientist with the National Resources Defense Council, who begged the question: “Can our 20th Century water systems survive the 21st Century climate reality?”

Sarah Sieloff is the Executive Director of the Center for Creative Land Recycling.  She is also the 2016 ULI SF Chamberlin Young Leader in the Non-Profit/Public Sector, and a member of ULI’s Redevelopment and Reuse Product Council.

Land is a finite resource, and the fight to make space for urban housing is a continuous battle. As job and population growth continue to outpace housing production in many US cities, displacement and rising rates of homelessness have caused a public health crisis. In the Bay Area and New York, we examine some companies who are finding ways to mitigate the need for housing.

The Urban Land Institute is an independent global nonprofit with over 40,000 members representing the entire spectrum of real estate development and land use discipline. Since 1947, they have been organizing Advisory Services panels to support local governments address challenging real estate and land use issues facing their communities. Panels bring together the best and brightest from ULI’s diverse membership—developers, planners, financiers, market analysts, economists, architects, designers, and public officials—to provide practical solutions and objective advice not available from any other source.

The EPA is offering an exciting program to create walkable, healthy, and economically vibrant neighborhoods though local food systems development. Local Foods, Local Places is the new program that offers technical assistance during a  two day workshop while developing a plan of action for communities who want to develop local food systems.

The U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development is currently soliciting applications for the FY2016 Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grants Program AND the Community Development Block Grants for Indian Tribes and Alaska Native Villages. Together these programs provide funding for housing, community facilities, economic development and neeighborhood revitalization.

Choice Neighborhoods Application Deadline: Jun 28, 2016

CDBG Application Deadline: Jun 14, 2016