It’s Earth Day 2015 and I have a confession to make: I have compost confusion. The other night, I found myself staring at a chicken bone. I was about to put it in the garbage can, but I remembered that it might belong in the compost bin. One recent Spring …

Lois Fisher of Fisher Town Design is a successful and influential urban designer who creates town squares for a living (Northern California projects she has worked on include Central Petaluma, Windsor, Ukiah, and Sonoma Mountain Village in Rohnert Park).  We sat down with her recently to get her expert opinion …

Creating a central focal point for a town or city is not an original idea. It works well for so many other cities & towns across the country. Let’s take a look at what a Castro Valley Town Square might look like by examining what a town square looks like …

1. Beauty. A well-designed Town Square will give residents and visitors a reason to enjoy Castro Valley’s downtown and new streetscape. 2. Walkability. Successful downtowns are walkable. Improved walkability helps local businesses attract more customers and achieve greater success. 3. Ideal Location. The site is ideally located for a Town Square, …