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Up one levelGladwyn d’Souza
When Gladwyn first started walking with his 10 year old daughter to school, they were the only ones. Now, however, many of the neighborhood families are following his example and walking together in the mornings and afternoons.
Hugo Guerrero
Being near the Fruitvale Village and BART has helped increase Hugo's clientele as "…more people are discovering the area...cultures are mixing together into one diverse marketplace." Besides helping his business expand, being close to BART has helped the local youth have "the chance to visit other communities easily, (to) be self-motivated and learn to be great leaders. This brings strength to the community. Business and community; it's all connected."
Susan Daluddung
Susan Daluddung, Ph.D., director of community and economic development in Hayward, has always advocated for walkable communities near transportation. But now, in her new condominium in downtown Hayward, Susan can finally “walk the talk and live lightly on the land”. She can see her condominium from her office window and does all of her errands in the shopping center just across the street. “My husband and I can go anywhere in any direction at any time. We have BART (so) I almost never have to use my car.”
Karla Perez-Cordero
Both Karla and her husband work during the day, so Karla depends on her mother-in-law and her mother take care of Isaiah, her 6 month-old baby. "If we didn't live so close to BART, Isaiah wouldn't be able to spend the day with his grandmas, and it would be really hard for me to get to work."
Maria Martinez
"Being near the BART and Fruitvale shopping center has been wonderful. The neighborhood looks clean and welcoming and the stores attract new people. Now I have customers from all over the Bay Area."
Tanya Narath
After working at Hewlett Packard, far from any downtown stores, Tanya shifted her job to downtown Santa Rosa. The convenience of “working downtown has been a wonderful change. I can walk out the office door and get coffee, shop for gifts, and get food.” Now Tanya can leave her car at home, and commute via bus or by bike in the same amount of time as it took to drive and park. “It’s right for my health and everyone else’s health.”
Steve Price
When Steve’s computer imaging business got too large for his home, he moved his office to the center of downtown Berkeley so that he could more easily access all of the shops and services he needed. By shopping close to work, “I save so much time and free up my weekends.” He bikes along the Ohlone Greenway or walks to BART for his daily commute, enjoying both the social and health benefits of being out in his community. “In public spaces, we learn to be more empathetic and understand other people.”
Irvin Dawid
"I want options, so I prefer living in a downtown area where I have everything and can get around without needing a car. Now, I'm two and a half short blocks from the Caltrain Station and around the block from Whole Foods. It's perfect."
State's growth has urban flavor