WHERE

Petaluma, CA

WHEN

Academic Studio
Fall 2017 UC Berkeley

WITH

Fan Yang, Andrea Medina

Petaluma’s historical evolution is closely tied to development along the Petaluma River. The city’s downtown grew on the southwest bank of the Petaluma River. Later, commercial and industrial uses grew on the northeast riverbank. The river, coupled with the arrival of the railroad in the 1870s, transformed the city into a thriving center of agricultural commerce for the region. The site area identified was 390 acres, out of which 174 acres were considered build-able. Around 3000 new housing units are created through this proposal.

The project analyzed and studied the possibility of creating a resilient water edge, spaces for public life to unfold, and added an inventory of ample housing stock, in a way that is sensitive to the existing character of the City.