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Community PlanningThe planning reports available below document the results of a 10-year partnership between San José State University Urban Planning Department’s Collaborative Neighborhood Planning (CNP) program, the City of San José’s Strong Neighborhoods Initiative (SNI) and local low-income, ethnically diverse neighborhoods. This community-university-city partnership brings together students and faculty to work closely with local residents and city staff in addressing core community issues. The process is open and inclusive, ensuring that the local leadership is committed to implementing asset-based community initiatives and setting forth a model approach to include residents in the decision-making process. CNP has significantly contributed to shaping San José’s neighborhood revitalization programs. Ten local neighborhood areas have participated directly in the partnership. Over 500 students have been trained in participatory planning practices. More than 1,400 residents have interacted directly with university students and faculty in community-based initiatives. Neighborhoods have received in excess of 28 million dollars in public funds to implement the projects identified in the plans. Moreover, the San José State University’s long-term commitment to working with local communities has facilitated the development of trust and strong ties among all stakeholders. Collaborative Neighborhood Plans24th & William Street Commercial Center Improvement PlanDuring the 2002/2003 academic year, students and faculty from San José State University’s Urban and Regional Planning Department worked with community members and city staff to develop a plan for the William Street and 24th-McLaughlin commercial node, located within the Five Wounds/Brookwood Terrace neighborhood in San José. The planning team assessed current conditions at the William Street and 24th-McLaughlin commercial node, drafted a vision statement that accurately reflects the community’s envisioned future for the commercial node and developed specific action steps to implement this vision. This collaborative process culminated in the production of a report that includes recommendations to improve the viability and vitality of the commercial node. 33rd & McKee Commercial Node Improvement PlanThis report is the result of a yearlong collaborative planning process conducted during the 2002/2003 academic year by urban planning students and faculty at San José State University in partnership with community members and city staff. The planning team conducted a study of the environmental, physical and socio-cultural facts of the Anne Darling and Little Portugal North neighborhoods, solicited input from community members regarding their impression of and vision for their neighborhood, crafted recommendations based on land use surveys as well as concerns and ideas generated at community workshops. Community members and city staff provided feedback on these recommendations. The improvement plan presented in this report focuses on affordable and easily executable solutions that would provide the greatest benefit to the neighborhood. Collaborative Plan: Bonita, Brookwood, Five Wounds, McKinley, and Olinder NeighborhoodsThis report presents a neighborhood improvement plan for five neighborhoods one mile east of downtown San José: Bonita, Brookwood Terrace, Five Wounds, McKinley and Olinder. It summarizes the views and concerns of its residents, outlines the existing conditions in the community, and presents recommendations for specific areas of intervention within the neighborhoods. The work was conducted during the 1998-1999 academic year, under the umbrella of San José State’s Community Outreach Partnership Center (SJSU COPC), sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), San José State University’s Office of the Provost and the Luke Hancock Foundation. This neighborhood improvement plan has informed the decision-making process at the local government level. For instance, neighborhood recommendations generated by this collaboration have resulted in the design and construction of the 13-acre Selma Olinder neighborhood park. Other recommendations outlined in the work plan resulted in boosting city resources towards housing assistance, public safety, and street and traffic management. Five Wounds Brookwood Terrace Neighborhood Improvement Plan AmendmentIn 2002 the Five Wounds/Brookwood Terrace community developed a Neighborhood Improvement Plan (NIP) with principles, concepts, and strategies that guided improvement efforts and brought over $90 million in public funds to the community during the next four years. Encouraged by these remarkable accomplishments the community worked diligently during the 2005-2006 academic year to update its action agenda with the assistance of the San José State University urban planning team and city staff. Goals and strategies have been renewed and documented in the Five Wounds/Brookwood Terrace Neighborhood Improvement Plan Amendment (NIPA), a road map for the community, the city, and organizations that have a stake in promoting a healthy, vibrant neighborhood. The community’s overarching vision remains close to its original. Residents want their neighborhood to be a safe, “small-town” environment, with walkable streets connecting central areas of community life, and thriving community-serving business corridors and retail nodes. K.O.N.A. Community Services NetworkThrough the City of San José's Strong Neighborhoods Initiative process, residents of the King Ocala Neighborhood Area (K.O.N.A.) identified greater partnership with schools, improved community services and enhanced community facilities as top priorities. San José State University’s Urban and Regional Planning Department conducted an assessment of the neighborhood’s community service strengths and needs, and conducted an open participatory discussion with community stakeholders during the 2004-2005 academic year. The community assessment and public input provided the foundation to identify the key guiding principles, goals and priorities, and recommended actions presented in this report. This process revealed a wealth of community services in the neighborhood, yet the under-utilization of some services and over-extension of others also became evident. The assessment also revealed that physical and operational connections necessary to facilitate the efficient and effective use of community services by residents are lacking. Hence, the report identifies a network of community services as the vehicle to overcome these connection barriers and provide residents with accessible, high-quality community services in a safe neighborhood environment. K.O.N.A. Community Services Network: Technical AppendicesThis document supplements the K.O.N.A. Community Services Network Report. Over the course of the project, a substantial amount of data was collected in order to develop a recommendation for the Community Services Network. These appendices provide insight as to how the data was collected, and provide additional detail on the information contained in the primary report. This document is best understood after reading the K.O.N.A. Community Services Network Report. Market Almaden Neighborhood Improvement PlanSurrounded by the City of San José’s flourishing downtown, Market-Almaden has immediate access to major downtown amenities. This five-block historic neighborhood retains a small town atmosphere while surrounded by the commercial, entertainment, and cultural districts of downtown San José, as well as major roads and highways that serve as gateways into the city. The neighborhood’s unique geographic setting is the source of its major assets and its major challenges as well. The Market-Almaden Neighborhood Improvement Plan report was adopted by the City of San José Council in March 2003. The project won the 2003 AICP Student Award for Applying the Planning Process; the 2003 American Planning Association California Chapter Academic Leadership and Service Award; and the 2003 Northern Section California Chapter American Planning Association Academic project. North Campus Area PlanDuring the 1997-1998 academic year faculty and students from the Urban and Regional Planning Department at San José State University worked in collaboration with members of the community and students from Horace Mann Academy to develop a plan for the urban neighborhood immediately north of the university campus. Major changes have already taken place in this neighborhood. San José’s new half a million square feet Civic Center complex, along with a number of cultural and support services, have relocated in the heart of this community seven years after the completion of the plan. The report outlines the existing conditions in the community and presents recommendations for special intervention areas within the neighborhood. It encapsulates the views and concerns of its residents and business community and sets forth intervention strategies to work towards their vision. This project was conducted under the umbrella of San José State’s Community Outreach Partnership Center (COPC), sponsored by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and San José State University’s office of the Provost. Renewing the Action Agenda: Strong Neighborhoods InitiativeThe Strong Neighborhoods Initiative (SNI), formally launched in 2000, is a partnership between the City of San José, San José the Redevelopment Agency (SJRA), and San José’s residents and business owners. SNI aims to strengthen the City’s neighborhoods by building clean, safe, and strong neighborhoods with independent, capable, and sustainable resident leadership. Nineteen SNI areas encompass about 10,000 acres that include older downtown and first-tier suburban neighborhoods. Each SNI area developed a Neighborhood Improvement Plan (NIP) through the collaborative efforts of city agencies, citizen groups, community-based organizations, and community members. Six years into the SNI, each neighborhood was set to review what had been accomplished since the release of its original NIP, reaffirming the vision for the community, and determining the direction to be followed in the next three to five years. This handbook is designed to serve as a template for each SNI area as it embarks on the process of renewing its Action Agenda and documenting it in a Neighborhood Improvement Plan Amendment (NIPA). The handbook was prepared by a planning team of San José State University faculty and students during the 2006-2007 academic year. Seven Trees Neighborhood PlanAt the request of the City of San José’s Vice-Mayor, a team of Urban Planning faculty and graduate students worked with city staff and the recently formed Seven Trees Neighborhood Group during the 2000-2001 academic year to apply the Collaborative Neighborhood Planning model to articulate a collective vision for the Seven Trees community. A series of conversations facilitated in public meetings and workshops ensued. Residents of all ages were invited to meet their neighbors to talk about what they liked in their community, discuss aspects they wanted to change and explore possible ways to improve and strengthen the neighborhood. The university team recorded all the information and generated a plan to respond to public input. The report summarizing the planning process has been used by city departments as a blueprint to direct public resources to further strengthen the Seven Trees community. More importantly, it has also been used by neighborhood residents to set direction in their community-building efforts. Tully-Senter School-Community Hub: Facilities and Services AssessmentIn its 2002 Tully-Senter Neighborhood Improvement Plan, community members identified their ten top priority actions to improve the neighborhood. Leading the list was the establishment of a School Hub, a community facility that would provide space for multiple services. In the fall of 2003 the San José State University planning team contributed to the first stage in the implementation of the School-Community Hub. The planning team employed an asset-based approach to data collection and analysis, which included surveying existing services and facilities, interviewing community members through focus groups and community-wide meetings, and conducting a demographic analysis to further understand the characteristics of the neighborhood. The purpose of the assessment was to determine whether a new community facility was indeed needed, before proceeding with the programming and conceptual design process. The results of the assessment support the recommendation for a new community facility. San José's Mayfair Community: Pedestrian/Bicyclist Safety and Neighborhood Convenience Study In the fall 2004 San José State University urban and regional planning students in partnership with the Transportation and Land Use Coalition (TALC) and the Mayfair community conducted a study with the objective to provide the community with a reference and guide to: 1) improve pedestrian and bike safety on the way to and around enhanced bus or light rail stations along Alum Rock Avenue; and 2) provide convenience services around the stations. A detailed demographic profile was developed with an emphasis on the segment of the population that relies most on public transit. Community input was gathered through three community meetings and over 400 surveys. Analysis of pedestrian and bicyclist collisions was conducted using the City of San José’s data, followed by a review of station design. This report documents the conclusions of the research, and includes recommendations for bicycle and pedestrian improvements that are needed for residents to have a safer and more pleasurable walk or bike to the proposed stations along Alum Rock Avenue, and recommendations to improve the convenience of using the new stations. Other Planning ReportsPlanning in San Jose: A Community Guide (English version)In the 2004-2005 academic year the City of San José Planning Department commissioned a team of urban planning faculty and graduate students to develop an introduction to land use planning and development for people unfamiliar with the process in the City, as well as for those already acquainted with the practice who want to learn more. The Guide is a resource for residents, business owners and property owners, as well as for developers interested in building in San José. Planificacion en San José: Una Guia Para La Comunidad (Spanish version)The San José State University planning team was commissioned to translate Planning in San José: A Community Guide in spring of 2007. Durante el año académico del 2004-2005 el departamento de planificación de la ciudad de San José le encargó a un equipo de profesores y estudiantes de post-grado que desarrollaran una cartilla introductoria acerca de la planificación y el desarrollo territorial destinada a las personas que no conocen estos procesos y a las personas que ya los conocen pero quieren aprender más. La Guía sirve como recurso para residentes, propietarios de negocios y de terrenos, y también para constructores a quien les interese construír en San José. Page last updated: December 18, 2007
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Dept. of Urban & Regional Planning Located in Washington Square Hall (WSQ) 216A
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