Some 40,000 people flooded downtown Berkeley on a brilliantly sunny day in October, as the city became the latest in the San Francisco Bay Area to host a "Sunday Streets" event. Organizers closed 17 blocks of Berkeley's Shattuck Avenue to cars––and opened them to pretty much everything else. Cyclists pedaled, hula hoops turned, children frolicked, climbers scaled a mobile rock wall, and musicians inspired scores to break out in dance. Families took leisurely strolls through streets transformed, while restaurants in North Berkeley's "gourmet ghetto" turned a brisk business. Residents surveyed a demonstration "parklet" that could soon see Berkeley parking spaces transformed into temporary green spaces, and the East Bay Bicycle Coalition showcased plans for a major upgrade to the city's bicycle network at Hearst Avenue.
Berkeley
First-Ever Sunday Streets Event Transforms Downtown Berkeley
Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
More from Streetsblog San Francisco
The Armchair Urbanist Goes After BART to San Jose Extension
Even from 3,000 miles away, it's easy to see why the BART extension—as designed—is stupid