SOS: Calling all Black Artists to attend City of Oakland downtown plan meeting at Malonga Center, 1428 Alice Street, Monday, Feb. 1,6pm

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Connect
Monday, February 1, 2016, 6:00 to 8:30 pm
Malonga Casquelourd Center for Arts, 1428 Alice Street

Schedule
6:00 pm: Arrival & Reception
6:30 pm: Presentation
7:30 pm: Open House

Please join us for food and conversation at a community meeting and open house to consider policy and design options to make Downtown Oakland the thriving, diverse, safe and equitable neighborhood that Oaklanders want to see at their city’s core. Based on the community’s feedback from two months of extensive public conversations, the City will be presenting ideas for solutions in a specific plan for Downtown to help meet the community’s needs, including:

• Policies and programs to protect and support artists, small businesses, and residents at all income levels, including options to develop funds needed to meet these needs
• Plans to encourage development that will fill in the gaps in our neighborhoods with living-wage jobs, new housing, new retail space and community benefits
• Designs for public streets and gathering places that welcome and connect all residents, with a focus on transit-accessible public spaces that are safe for bicyclists and pedestrians of all ages

An open house will follow the presentation, where you can take a closer look at the options, offer new ideas and revisions, and talk with the designers, staff, and other community members. Cantonese interpretation will be available, and refreshments will be served. To preview the goals and policies that will be available for discussion at the open house, please visit the Latest News section of the Plan Downtown Oakland Website: Latest News.

Play
To experience some of the future possibilities firsthand, come to Frank H. Ogawa Plaza from February 4th through 6th for the Our City: Oakland Public Design Fair. The Plaza will be transformed into a place for people of all ages to play in new ways. Eleven locally-built public design projects will premiere at the Fair, inviting residents and visitors alike to reimagine the future of our public space.

PLEASE NOTE: Festivities for the public start on Thursday, February 4th at the Plaza and run through Sunday, February 6th from 8:00am to 8:00pm each day. The closing party on Saturday, February 7th will be held at Pro Arts from 7:00pm to 10:00pm, and is open to the public. Visit the Our City: Oakland website for details.

Heal
The City of Oakland is committed to advancing policy and institutional change to address structural inequality throughout Oakland. To support concrete steps toward this goal the Planning Department is issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) to develop a social equity strategy that will guide this and future specific plans. The strategy would ensure that policies are developed to address the physical environment and economic conditions for all people, including those with the fewest resources, through the promotion of participatory engagement and positive social change.

Please forward this email and the link to the RFP to any organizations and consultants who are leaders in social equity policy, planning and participation: RFP for Oakland Social Equity Strategy. A pre-proposal meeting will be held at City Hall on Thursday, February 4th at 3:00pm in Hearing Room 3.