Survey Results from Chinatown Complete Streets Plan Are In!

With neighborhood residents almost twice as likely to take public transit versus driving alone, Chinatown is one of the most public transit-dependent neighborhoods in Oakland. In addition, Chinatown is home to the highest concentration of pedestrian and bicycle collisions in Oakland. Asian Americans are 3.5 times more likely to be killed while walking in the city than White people.

For these reasons, EBALDC and the City of Oakland’s Department of Transportation (OakDOT) are working with community members and local nonprofits to identify a set of key areas in Chinatown for future street and sidewalk improvements. EBALDC has been contracted by OakDOT to provide outreach and assistance on the Chinatown Complete Streets Plan–a two-year process to create a plan for and to implement street and sidewalk improvements in Oakland Chinatown. In addition to earlier efforts (creation of a Technical Advisory Committee, facilitating a series of neighbor group discussions, and a sitewalk workshop attended by 40 residents), EBALDC recently completed administration of a survey on what improvements community members would like to see from the Plan.

The survey, which was open from mid-June 2023 till the end of August 2023, sought community member input on their preferences for street improvements in the Chinatown area. Available in Chinese and English, the survey asked specific questions about desired changes at Chinatown’s 10th and 7th streets, 8th and 9th streets intersections and the Webster and Harrison streets intersections.

Administered both online and through distributed paper copies, the survey culminated in 230 completed survey forms. Survey outreach included distribution of Chinese and English flyers, in person outreach to EBALDC residents, and outreach to other OakDOT partners.

Based on survey responses to the multiple-choice questions, the most requested improvements across all survey takers were street changes that would slow cars, artistic or playful elements, pedestrian-only spaces or streets, highly visible crosswalks, wider sidewalks, bike lanes, and sidewalk lighting. Among the subset of survey responses from Chinatown residents (133 out of the 230 total), the most requested improvements were: more consistent auto, pedestrian, and bike traffic enforcement, street changes that slow cars, artistic or playful elements, sidewalk lighting, pedestrian-only spaces or streets, wider sidewalks, and bike lanes.

Preliminary survey results revealed some possible themes regarding desired changes to particular streets. For example, for 8th and 9th Streets, prioritizing safety of pedestrian areas as well as making space available on the sidewalk (perhaps related to space for vendors and businesses) bubbled up in the results as most relevant to respondents. For Webster and Harrison Streets, a similar response threaded through, desiring pedestrian safety and visibility/ space. For 7th Street, better lighting and pedestrian visibility to cars were the greatest concern to survey respondents.

This data, along with other outreach data, was used to choose the final corridors and to guide the design consultant’s work on the chosen corridors. The next phase of this project involves OakDOT hiring a designer to create what the project will look like, based on the feedback from the local community. Further engagement to fine tune and gather additional community feedback will follow.