Housing

It's Time for Oakland to Start Building

The East Bay hub is poised for an economic boom, but the city needs to overcome a deep-seated resistance to growth. 
The Fox Theater at 19th and Telegraph, in the center of downtown Oakland.Sergio Ruiz/SPUR

For an urban downtown, Oakland’s city center has long sat strangely empty.

Only a handful of buildings rise above ten stories; 40 acres of vacant spaces or parking lots litter the city. After working hours end, the streets fall quiet.