Lincoln Square Park has been a fixture in Oakland’s Chinatown community for generations. Developed as one of Oakland’s seven original public squares, the beloved park and neighborhood center have been an activated space for community gathering since 1850. On any given day the site hosts fitness classes, sports teams, cultural programming, children playing on the iconic junk play structure, and community members of all ages enjoying watching all these activities.

“Providing activities that allow folks to interact and connect with each other is important,” said Lincoln Recreation Center’s Director, Gilbert Gong.

The Lincoln Square Park neighborhood is also characterized by a low income elderly population with predominantly Asian residents, many of whom do not speak English. Like many frontline communities, residents are disproportionately affected by factors like traffic, industrial activities, and substandard housing conditions; leading to pollution, poor air quality and other environmental injustice impacts. The Census tract around Lincoln Square Park has 34.4% of the population living in poverty, and high rates of asthma (U.S. Census). Overall, the community is among the most adversely impacted in California, ranking in the 10% most pollution burdened census tracts (Cal EnviroScreen). 

It is no surprise that this iconic site will be host to the first Municipal Resilience Hub in the City of Oakland, thanks to $40 million dollars raised from  federal, state, and local city-bonds in funding; as well as the tireless advocacy and support from Friends of Lincoln Square Park (FLSP), Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN) and 30 plus other partner organizations, which have been instrumental in moving the project forward.

“If I had to make a recommendation for anyone else looking to build a collaborative resiliency center, [it’s] definitely to network and bring in all your community groups.” – Gilbert Gong, Lincoln Center Recreation Director

The construction of the new Municipal Resilience Hub, with construction starting in late 2024,  will be a part of a new Recreation Center that will replace an aging building in need of costly repairs, while also aligning with the City of Oakland’s resiliency goals and efforts.  

The development of a municipal resilience hub is one of the many projects the city is undertaking to meet all of the goals set out in the City of Oakland’s Equitable Climate Action Plan, which calls for the creation of at least three Resilience Hubs “to build climate resilience through an equity and community-driven approach” (Action A-1). True to the definition of resilience hubs, this Action supports transforming trusted community-serving facilities in frontline neighborhoods, to provide both year-round programming that builds trust and relationships with community members, provides specialized support during power outages, extreme heat events and other climate disasters, and is a model for sustainability. 

Building Community Resilience

Even before being approached to become the City of Oakland’s first municipal resilience hub, the Lincoln Square Park Neighborhood Center was already focused on community resiliency efforts. The center has been the host of resilience-focused activities focused on disaster preparedness, safety and resilience, including classes in collaboration with the Emergency Management Services Division, food distribution during the pandemic, and a Safety and Resources fair in the aftermath of escalated violence against Asians. 

“When COVID-19 started, we were distributing several thousand pounds of produce a day and then that transitioned to serving hot meals,” said Gong.

The new Municipal Resilience Center at Lincoln Square Park will provide more space to allow one of the most densely programmed facilities in Oakland to continue to expand their programming, increasing the sense of community while also preparing the neighborhood for disasters and disruption. 

The future Lincoln Center’s expanded programming will center its commitment as a resilience hub, with planned offerings including  Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training, overnight shelter simulations, community leadership meetings, green economy and electrification workforce development programs, among other emergency preparedness and community resilience activities.  

“We plan on offering CERT trainings to better prepare the community, as well as teaching them more about environmental awareness,” Gong Said. “[Such as how to be] resourceful with how they use their water, their electricity,” he continued.

Emergency Preparedness 

The Resilience Center will be equipped to support the community in their everyday needs as well as in the face of  extreme heat, atmospheric rivers and other climate risks that the community will  increasingly experience. Resiliency infrastructure will include: 

• Solar panels and battery storage, will allow the Lincoln Community Resilience Center to have backup power in the event of a power outage or shut off, including life saving actions like allowing phones and medical devices to be charged, and medications to be refrigerated. 
• An energy efficient HVAC system that will provide air filtration, cooling, and heating. The air filtration system will provide a respite from everyday high levels of air pollution during extreme poor air quality days; while the cooling system will equip the building to be activated as a cooling center in an extreme heat event. 
• Multipurpose areas which can be activated as an overnight shelter if community members are displaced by climate events. The building will also house a commercial kitchen, food and supply storage areas, showers, laundry, and gender-neutral restrooms. 
• The Lincoln Resilience Center will also act as a central point of communication for the community in its everyday information sharing capacity as well as during and after the event of an emergency. The center will be prepared with radios, broadband, and community phone charging ports and staff and community members will be trained in emergency radio communication. Community members will be provided with language appropriate services, resources, and public health information.  

Sustainability and Climate Solutions  

The current Community Center at Lincoln Square Park will retain its existing outdoor space but will expand the facility to a 22,000 square foot two-story Community Resilience Center. It will be built with some impressive environmentally friendly construction methods and landscaping, leading to a hoped-for and coveted LEED Gold certification. 

The outdoor programing spaces will be climate resilient in its flexible indoor/outdoor space, which include: 

• drought-tolerant landscaping and 29 new shade trees 
• solar-reflective blacktop surfaces to reduce heat. 
• A new bio-filtration system and permeable paving which will reduce stormwater run-off and pollution, and decrease the risk of flooding. 

 In addition to its increased battery storage capacity, the building will also install an induction stove and efficient electrical appliances instead of gas appliances for water heating and laundry. 

 The City of Oakland’s Commitment to Climate Resilience

The development of the Municipal Resilience Hub at Lincoln Square Park emphasizes Oakland’s commitment to equity and climate resilience. Repurposing the Community Center, the hub addresses environmental injustice in a neighborhood disproportionately affected by pollution and climate impacts.

With expanded programming and infrastructure improvements, it provides vital support during emergencies, promoting inclusivity and innovation. Prioritizing sustainability, the hub integrates energy-efficient facilities, renewable energy, and urban greening initiatives, contributing to climate action and environmental quality. In essence, this hub serves as a beacon of city resilience, empowering residents and setting a precedent for equitable and climate-resilient development nationwide.

 In essence, this resilience hub will serve as a beacon of city resilience, empowering residents and setting a precedent for equitable and climate-resilient development nationwide.