In the past decade, the City of Emeryville has earned national recognition as a pioneer in reclaiming, remediating, and redeveloping its decaying industrial lands. A massive brownfields pilot program has resulted in a dramatic economic turnaround for the city, which has succeeded in attracting high-tech firms such as Chiron and Pixar to locate in the City. Through an EPA grant, the City is now addressing its next challenge  to meet new standards for water quality and to improve the general environmental sustainability of continuing revitalization efforts.

To realize this goal, CD+A is developing Design Guidelines for Green Dense Redevelopment, which will integrate green stormwater treatment into the site planning and building design of new development. Additional efficiencies in development will also be gained from pedestrian-friendly parking strategies. The parking and green design solutions range from shared district parking facilities to green roofs to containerized rain gardens; all are tailored for Emeryville s unique context: heavily urbanized sites with little extra room for large detention facilities, often with compacted or even contaminated soils and a high water table. The handbook will enable City staff, planners, designers, and developers to implement sustainable design on many scales throughout Emeryville. Implementation of the guidelines will allow Emeryville to be increasingly competitive in attracting research and knowledge based businesses and develop additional housing opportunities for those interested in Emeryville s urban lifestyle.