A true representation 1 of what Oakland is. Jose Corona Director of Equity and Strategic Partnerships, City of Oakland PUBLIC DESIGN FAIR SUMMARY REPORT Bringing play to the Bay. In February 2016, Our City and the City of Oakland partnered to produce the first Our City: Oakland Fair. This first Fair was focused on the theme of play. Over three days, Frank H. Ogawa Plaza came alive with twelve new public design installations that inspired Oakland kids, families, residents, and visitors of all ages to play in new ways. Goals 1 2 3 Encourage residents and visitors of all ages to play in new ways. Increase invitations for people to engage and socialize. Make the Plaza more welcoming to all populations.
A Collaborative Effort In the process of transforming Oakland s central downtown public space, the first Our City: Oakland Fair engaged a broad and exciting group of partner organizations and agencies. The City of Oakland was a key strategic partner in the Fair from Day One. Our City held meetings with multiple City departments to ensure the event aligned strategically and logistically with the City s efforts to plan the future of downtown Oakland. Selected Projects As part of the Fair, 12 projects were designed, built, and installed in public by local teams with $14,500 in grant funding. From 300+ votes, these three projects received the most public support. BLOCK BY BLOCK A big building block kit that invites visions for the future of the city BIG WIRE AND BEAD MAZE A human-scale version of the classic wire and bead maze of our youth LIVING ROOM A gathering space with digital picture frames featuring portraits of passersby
Designer Spotlight WEST OAKLAND YOUTH CENTER WOYC PHOTO WALL It reminded me of Oakland in the 70 s, when families played outside with familiarity and without fear. The Our City Oakland Fair was more than just a design project for myself and our youth. It gave us an opportunity to engage with people in the community of different backgrounds that probably would have never happened otherwise. Using art, games, and technology we were able to express a sentiment of compassion and love that those outside the community don t see too often. Patanisha Williams Program Manager, West Oakland Youth Center
Designer Spotlight GENSLER OAKLAND BLOCK BY BLOCK Working with Our City was a leap of faith with wonderful positive results. We really had no idea how the creative process would work and how the public would be engaged, and we were so pleasantly surprised by the coolness and the easiness of the four days of setup and display. The information we received was excellent and the follow-up outreach from Our City has reminded us what we were able to accomplish with real sweat, sweet smartness, and healthy volunteers of time and space. Douglas Wittnebel Principal and Design Director, Gensler Oakland
Outcomes + Data According to 275+ surveys collected from attendees, the Our City: Oakland Fair was successful in meeting all three of its goals. It also attracted new and diverse audiences to the Plaza from a wide area. 90+X 90% were inspired 68+X 88+X 68% 88% met someone felt more welcome to play new in the Plaza 49+17+16+12+6 ETHNICITY of survey respondents, self-identified 49% White 17% Asian 16% Black 12% Hispanic 6% Other 61+39+X NEWCOMERS of respondents 61% 61% Don t Visit the Plaza Often 39% Do 75+ ZIP CODES represented WHAT WE HEARD Frank H. Ogawa Plaza I ll come downtown more if the projects stay. This project has brought many more people out here. This is as cool a day as I ve seen in this plaza!
Next Steps Our City is working with the City of Oakland and other local partners to carry forward the momentum and impact generated by the Fair. 1 2 3 Seeking longer-term homes for the projects in Oakland and beyond. Planning for future Fairs in Oakland focused on different themes. Developing new local partnerships around public design. Designers The Fair was truly made possible by the hard work of over 40 designers who contributed directly to producing a project. Aaron Wynn Albert Kong Alex Kryzanowski Chris Brown David Cummings Flux Foundation Gensler Oakland James Hovell Jason Horgan Jessica Lachenal Justin Tang Karen Cusolito Kat Meler Kyle Bruckmann Michael Katsevman Min Yoon MoonCycleCollective MoreLab Phillip Pasqualino Sheena Fuson Steve Zettler The Crucible The Open Workshop Theresa Wong Viscera Studio West Oakland Youth Center ourcity.is info@ourcity.is Our City is a nonprofit organization that brings people together to make things that improve cities. Through interactive festivals, workshops, and installations, we invite local stakeholders to imagine and build the future of their communities together. Our City is based in Oakland, California and works with cities everywhere.