Google’s Downtown West project, which was approved unanimously by San José City Council in 2021, will be the largest multi-modal transit hub on the west coast. The 80-acre mixed-use, transit-oriented development will extend San José’s downtown with a mix of housing, open space, arts, retail, and community uses as well as an extensive active transit and nature network. 

Second Nature’s Robin Grossinger, Erica Spotswood, and Micaela Bazo worked closely with the design team to lay out the ecological components of the project, including an array of strategies for incorporating nature into the project. This work was conducted while we were at SFEI, and benefited greatly from collaboration with an interdisciplinary team of consultants, Lendlease and the Google team.

A biodiversity-forward vision

We were able to develop an ambitious biodiversity-forward vision for the design of this new urban center, which is incorporated in the City-approved Downtown West Design Standards and Guidelines. Ecological goals, such as the expansion of riparian habitat and recovery of oak savanna ecosystems are translated into specific design actions and requirements, such as native plant standards, connectivity thresholds, specifications for planting conditions, street-specific native tree palettes, and guidelines for hazard mitigation. Each open space was designed to accommodate specific ecological objectives and programming needs, such as re-oaking.