Picture a front door that opens onto a green pedestrian way instead of a parking garage. A child pedals past neighbors chatting on their steps. Behind the building, a kitchen opens onto a garden where children can play away from traffic and within earshot of home. A parent waves from the doorway as the kids head off to Berkeley Arts Magnet. Another walks over to Shattuck Avenue for eggs, without having to pile everyone into the car to drive to the grocery store.
These small freedoms make a neighborhood a good place to raise a family. I want to make that life possible for more Berkeley families.
North Shattuck already offers many of the amenities families seek, including great schools, neighborhood shops, parks and places to meet, all within walking distance. It grew up as a streetcar neighborhood, and small apartment buildings stood alongside houses for much of its history. Today, families who want to live here compete for a small number of suitable homes. Over the past decade, builders across Berkeley have mostly delivered student housing, studios and one-bedroom apartments. They have added few homes with room for children and a safe place for them to play outside.
The proposal puts family life first. Small multifamily buildings would stand wall to wall around each block. Just a few households would share each stair and lift landing, so neighbors get to know one another. With a central stair instead of double-loaded corridors, apartments extend from the street to the courtyard like townhouses, with windows on both sides, cross-breezes and enough space for families. Along the Henry Street mews, residents enter their homes from a planted pedestrian space rather than a driveway.
In the shared gardens, children play away from traffic, neighbors tend gardens, and families entertain and enjoy the outdoors. Ground-floor residents step directly into the garden; upper-floor residents reach it by their building’s stairs and lifts.
Working with John J. Parman, whose family has lived in the neighborhood since 1968, I’ve developed a courtyard housing proposal for the Safeway, CVS, former Bank of America and Andronico’s sites. We want to add homes and gardens that fit North Shattuck’s scale while keeping its shops and neighborhood character. Our proposal treats North Shattuck as the heart of a residential district rather than an extension of downtown.
The plans use measurable, editable geometry, not just image generation. We can check dimensions, calculate areas and revise the layouts as the design develops.
We propose a passage along the south end of the CVS site and through the JCC parking lot to connect Shattuck Avenue to Walnut Street. The passage could give the Thursday farmers’ market a permanent home, with room for small shops and places to sit. We also propose narrowing Shattuck where it bends toward Henry Street, widening sidewalks and improving crossings so people can walk through the area more easily. The passage and market would require land and access agreements.
By grouping several smaller buildings on each block, we accommodate rental apartments, condominiums and townhouses side by side. A coordinated plan could help builders phase construction while working to retain existing businesses. Smaller buildings also give more local builders a chance to participate.
Our working study estimates about 371 homes averaging 1,100 square feet or 453 averaging 900 square feet, using the same modeled dwelling-area allowance. These preliminary estimates depend on further work on floor plans, bedroom mixes, circulation, accessibility, feasibility and land agreements.
Courtyard housing could help renew North Shattuck by giving families more ways to stay in the neighborhood or make a home here. Families could find room to grow, share a garden and walk to school, the grocery store, friends’ houses, and other daily destinations. .
This approach could also show Berkeley and the wider Bay Area how to add homes, support family life and expand opportunities for homeownership.
All images show design intent, not completed buildings or verified architectural dimensions. The project website includes the latest courtyard sections and study assumptions. The underlying plans use measurable, editable geometry.
Want to help bring courtyard housing to North Shattuck? Get in touch at alicia@courtyardurbanist.com.