Advancing Climate Resilience in East Oakland

The challenges of extreme heat and climate change aren’t distant threats for East Oakland—they’re here, and they’re urgent. Rising temperatures, driven by the urban heat island effect, have underscored the community’s call for resources that offer both immediate relief and long-term solutions. These challenges are compounded by historical inequities, making resilience a critical priority for East Oakland residents.

Given this reality, the $450,000 grant awarded to Black Cultural Zone (BCZ) from California’s Extreme Heat and Community Resilience Program (EHCRP) this past November marks a positive step forward. The EHCRP, a state-funded initiative, supports planning and implementation projects aimed at mitigating the impacts of extreme heat and urban heat islands. Its mission is to build frameworks for change and invest in local, regional, and tribal projects that strengthen communities vulnerable to extreme heat.

The funding will support the development of BCZ’s Liberation Park as an Extreme Heat Resilience Hub. This project addresses the urgent need for shade, drought-resistant greenery, and cooling spaces, while fostering community and economic resilience. Liberation Park’s design reflects a deep alignment with the community’s priorities and the principles of climate justice.

“Through this process, we realized that the community had been asking for resilience measures all along,” said Yi Zhong, CAST’s Real Estate Project Manager. “The things the community asked for—shade, drought-resistant trees, spaces to gather—fit perfectly within the definitions of resilience hubs. We just needed to start using the right language.”

The Extreme Heat Resilience Hub will provide a vital space for cooling and shelter during extreme heat events while integrating economic opportunities through its market hall and retail hub components. BCZ’s vision goes beyond physical structures; it prioritizes community-driven solutions that empower residents to lead efforts in combating climate change.

Creating a Resilient Future

CAST played an integral role in supporting BCZ throughout the grant application process. By helping frame BCZ’s existing vision within the state’s resilience goals, CAST ensured that the project’s alignment with the EHCRP objectives was clear. “It was a communications pivot—reinterpreting our entire project through the lens of resilience,” said Zhong.

The grant validates BCZ’s approach to climate justice and provides crucial resources to advance their vision for Liberation Park. More than a financial boost, it represents recognition of the power of community-led initiatives to address both immediate and long-term challenges. The BCZ Extreme Heat Resilience Hub will be a cornerstone in East Oakland’s fight against climate change, demonstrating that resilience becomes a reality when communities are at the forefront of the solutions that impact them most.

The project has already become an example for the next generation. Members of the CAST and BCZ teams have been working with Castlemont High School’s Sustainable Urban Design Academy (SUDA) to engage the future of East Oakland in resilience planning. SUDA students explored the concept of resilience centers and developed their own ideas, conducting surveys and creating both 2D and 3D designs. Recently, they presented their final projects, which were reviewed and voted on by a panel of experts, showcasing innovative approaches to climate resilience.

A Sustainable Approach

The Liberation Park project is one example of how our Real Estate team is incorporating the effects of climate change and sustainability into its practice. Our work requires us to take a long view of the Bay Area’s landscape, recognizing that environmental histories and climate preparedness are essential to ensuring the longevity and affordability of arts and cultural spaces. Sustainability, for us, is not just about the physical structures but also about fostering equity, repair, and responsibility to the communities we serve. Our approach to sustainability emphasizes mindfulness and a commitment to equity. It’s about balancing immediate needs with long-term goals to create spaces that support both community well-being and global responsibility.

By integrating sustainable practices into every phase of development—from dreaming and design to activation and construction— we seek to create spaces that inspire change. This approach is grounded in the understanding that artists and cultural spaces play a pivotal role in shaping the narratives and movements needed to address the climate crisis.

Through initiatives like the Extreme Heat Resilience Hub at Liberation Park, we reaffirm our commitment to sustainability as a practice of equity and transformation, ensuring that the spaces we create today will continue to thrive for generations to come.