About
What is EcoBlock?
EcoBlock provides a set of strategies to improve quality of life for all members of a neighborhood through improved resilience and sustainability. Communities can choose the most appropriate solutions based on their interests, timeline, resources, and local context.

Project Conception

The idea of an “eco-block” stems from a comprehensive vision of neighborhood sustainability—one where self-sufficient communities generate renewable energy, recycle and reuse all water and waste, enable carbon-free transportation, and cultivate their own food. The EcoBlock concept was first developed by Harrison Fraker, Professor Emeritus of Architecture and Urban Design at UC Berkeley, as part of an urban design studio in 2005. In the course, students developed principles and prototypes for high-density, transit-oriented developments in China based on a triple net-zero approach toward water, energy, and carbon neutrality.
Over the years, EcoBlock has shifted its focus from new construction to existing buildings. Buildings consume about half the energy used in the US. Getting all buildings to net zero emissions is a critical task for climate change mitigation, but new building construction creates significant new emissions—typically two to four times more than renovations—and house-by-house retrofits are too slow.
The EcoBlock concept recognizes the neighborhood block as a common unit of organization in urban and suburban America—in fact, most cities in the world. Blocks come in different sizes and shapes, but the basic block structure appears in all places with moderate to high population density. EcoBlock aims to harness this structure to make clean energy more affordable for communities in California and beyond.
Oakland EcoBlock
Project Goals:
- Provide affordable access to solar, energy, and water-efficient upgrades
- Improve indoor air quality, thermal comfort, and energy resilience
- Rapidly reduce greenhouse gases
- Strengthen community
- Develop a scalable template for block-size retrofits
Unique Features:
- Retrofits of older, 1-4-unit urban housing units
- Shared rooftop solar
- Stormwater mitigation and street planting
- Community ownership through a non-profit Association
- Design for a shared curbside electric vehicle (EV) charger
- Design for a shared solar microgrid governed by California’s utility regulations
Phase 1: Preliminary Research & Design (2016-2018)
In 2015, the CEC released a solicitation through the Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC) program, which invests in scientific and technological research to accelerate the transformation of the electricity sector to meet the state’s energy and climate goals. The purpose of the solicitation was to fund a design-build competition that challenged multidisciplinary teams to prototype innovative and replicable solutions for deploying Advanced Energy Communities. The Oakland EcoBlock was one of 13 projects that received a Phase 1 grant, which supported preliminary research and design efforts. Read the EcoBlock CEC Phase 1 final report (PDF).
Phase 2: Implementation (2019-Present)

The Oakland EcoBlock is one of four projects that received a Phase 2 implementation grant from the CEC. In this phase, a custom subset of the original EcoBlock plan is being implemented, with project completion expected in 2026.
Timeline

California goes into lockdown due to the pandemic. Project delayed.


Incorporate EcoBlock Community Association as a non-profit mutual benefit corporation
Participants unanimously choose stormwater bioretention facility design through a vote-by-mutual consent process
For the community microgrid
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approves PG&E’s request for the Community Microgrid Enablement Tariff (CMET) to include EcoBlock


Recruit 14 homeowners representing 25 units (24 residential, 1 commercial) to join the EcoBlock Community Association. Image credit: People Power Solar Cooperative
Receive US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grant to support stormwater mitigation and street landscaping work
PG&E completes the engineering portion of the community microgrid design. The construction of the microgrid is put on hold due to inflation and unexpected project delays.
PG&E decides to conduct a complete electric service upgrade for the block. Project delayed by 14 months.

Start phased home performance and electrification retrofits. While PG&E worked on service upgrades, contractor was able to conduct some limited work.


PG&E conducts blockwide electric service upgrades


Construct end-of-block bioretention facility to treat, detain, and retain stormwater before it enters the adjacent creek

Remove concrete and plant trees in sidewalk planting strips. Add mulch to stormwater bioretention facility and sidewalk planting strips.

Complete in-home retrofits and rooftop solar installations

Evaluate performance of retrofits and share lessons learned through the EcoBlock Guidebook