As it turns out, workplace design is critical to the productivity and well-being of our workforce. And it also so happens that most of our work spaces were based upon designs that worked back in the day – before technology and a younger, tech-enabled generation transformed the way work is done. As a result, office […]
Route I-980 Source: ConnectOakland The I-980 freeway is at a crossroads — literally and figuratively. The freeway might have seemed like a good idea at one time, but now many see it as a blight that divides the Oakland community and disconnects neighborhoods from the downtown. It currently acts as a barrier to economic investment […]
Westlake Urban, in partnership with Palo Alto Partners, recently completed a new, multifamily rental property for moderate-income households in San Mateo, CA. “From the beginning, the (San Mateo) City Council envisioned a mixed-income housing development for the community,” according to Sandra Council, Neighborhood Improvement and Housing Manager, City of San Mateo. The project, located at […]
The new San Leandro Truth is Beauty by Marco Cochrane Photo by Barry Toranto She is the icon of San Leandro’s transformation. Graceful, strong, proud, and reaching toward the future, she imagines a world that is bright and bold, limitless and safe. Truth is Beauty, the 55-foot steel and LED sculpture by artist Marco Cochrane […]
Plumbing. We take it for granted. We turn the tap—and expect water to come gushing out. Plumbing wasn’t always part of our communities, but once introduced it changed everything about how we build buildings and cities. High speed broadband technology is today’s “new plumbing” and it is dramatically changing how we at Westlake build our […]
Westlake Urban recently sat down with Rick Williams and Karen Murray, partners at Van Meter Williams Pollack, to talk about how their innovative approach to design and architecture enhances communities. Van Meter Williams Pollack is an award-winning architecture and urban design firm based in San Francisco and Denver. WESTLAKE URBAN: What is VMWP’s approach to […]
Truth is Beauty by Marco Cochrane. Photo courtesy of Eleanor Preger. Westlake Urban has a long history of including public art at its properties. This month, we’re proud to continue the tradition with the announcement that Truth is Beauty, the 55-foot steel and LED sculpture by local Bay Area artist Marco Cochrane, will be arriving […]
Photo courtesy of MidPen Housing Andre Wiley, an Oakland school teacher who works two jobs to support his wife and young son, was hit with a 35 percent rent increase for a “no-frills” two-bedroom apartment. Now he’s contemplating moving to the Central Valley to find an apartment he can afford. Martha Ortega, a San Mateo […]
From Westlake Urban’s vantage point in the San Francisco Bay Area, the past few years have demonstrated the full swing of the real estate cycle. From the depths of the Great Recession to today’s eye-popping Bay Area real estate prices, we have experienced the economic extremes of a dynamic marketplace. And while anyone who owns […]
Source: pocket-neighborhoods.net In an era long before the Internet, you could gather neighborhood news at the back fence and send your preteen to the corner store for milk. You might walk to work or take a short bus ride. Living simpler, more connected lives is a goal of many downsizing Baby Boomers and discerning Millennials, […]