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1989 Earthquake

On October 17, 1989 an earthquake severely damaged a number of buildings in Downtown Oakland including City Hall and several other significant buildings.

• The AIAEB organized a charette, consisting of design professionals, City staff and others to develop ideas about how to rebuild or replace City Hall and the surrounding buildings. Key considerations were the preservation of historic buildings, and the restoration of a range of downtown housing types.
• AIAEB along with Oakland Heritage Alliance and others formed the Oakland Preservation Assistance Team (OPAT) to assist owners of damaged buildings find funding and technical help to repair and reoccupy their buildings.

The Oakland/Berkeley Fire

On October 20, 1991 over 3,000 homes were destroyed by fire in the Oakland/Berkeley hills.

• The AIAEB Planning Zoning and Design Task Force together with AIA California Council (AIACC) organized a California Emergency Design Assistance Team (CEDAT) to assist the community in defining how the reconstruction should take place.
• Several intensive workshops summarized the comments of hundreds of survivors into a document, "Community Voices: A Resource Guide for Rebuilding" that was used as a resource for the reconstruction of homes and neighborhoods.
• Recommendations from the CEDAT process were included in the final City of Oakland design review checklist.

• In 1992, the AIAEB Housing Committee initiated an education program to promote affordable housing in the East Bay.
• The program included a traveling exhibit, tours, speakers, a booklet and a slide library.
• Since 1995, the Committee has collaborated with East Bay Housing Organizations (EBHO) on Affordable Housing Week, which includes exhibits in multiple locations, tours of affordable housing, annual booklets exploring affordable housing issues, and lobbying local, state, and federal governments for additional funding.

Pulling Downtown Oakland Together: an architectural exhibit and symposium

• In April 1996, the AIAEB Housing and Neighborhood Design Committee, with assistance from the City of Oakland organized an architectural exhibit and symposium entitled Pulling Downtown Oakland Together showcasing the architecture and urban design of buildings recently completed and currently under development in Oakland's Downtown.
• The exhibit included a masterplan map of these developments, and the identification of sites available for further development.
• The symposium brought together architects, planners, developers, bankers, city officials, local residents, and community groups to focus on how architecture, urban design, and planning can help revitalize Oakland's downtown.

Post-Earthquake Housing Recovery Workshop

• In November 1996, AIAEB, The State Office of Emergency Services (OES) and the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) coordinated a charette to address housing and neighborhood recovery strategies after a major earthquake on the Hayward fault.
• A report was issued by OES in February 1997 detailing the workshop recommendations, as part of a larger Earthquake Program effort by OES.
  

• In June 1997 the AIAEB Housing and Neighborhood Design Committee organized a development planning workshop in the Uptown district.
• Design professionals, local business owners, developers, and city staff explored: planning, urban design, and historic preservation; management and marketing; and development financing.
• A report detailing the workshop scenarios and recommendations was made available to developers responding to city RFPs for the Fox Theater and surrounding district.