Richmond’s complex rich history alludes to industrial growth, innovation, inspiration, multi-cultural growth, followed by tragic outcomes, inequitable situations of ecosystems and communities, geographic chaos, and uncontrolled urban adjacencies separated by multiple types of barriers, a disconnected urban fabric, and an environmentally broken community.

This project proposes rethinking infrastructure as a social amenity and offers design solutions that are examples of environmentally restorative justice, transformative urban fabrics, and clean energy production. It would enhance the way people in the city live, work, and play.

It is an urban green park built on top of the existing operating train tracks with hydrogen powered infrastructure and industry collaboration. It would contrast Chevron and become a source of cleaner air and clean energy; including elements such as fuel cell battery towers, photovoltaic panels, wind turbines, and the recycling of clean water systems, buffering and providing filtration to the polluted air that has affected its community. This park provides a local space for families to come and interact with, and also learn about clean energy through their immersive experience. Programmatic elements include; railway park with a retention pond on the lower level where parking can be relocated, community-city gardens, cultural murals alluding to the social justice and the vernacular culture, open green space, sports courts, playgrounds, and coffee/juice huts. It would provide a place for industry energy leaders to incorporate their-micro mobility products, such as scooters, bikes, small electric vehicles, etc.

The Chevron Oil refinery, sitting in a 3,000 acre land, the largest oil refinery in the state of California, producing approximately 240,000 barrels a day at $100 ea, is the 2nd largest greenhouse emitter in the state. How can we phase out oil production with a clean energy solution by creating a “remediative landscape”? The US government has increased the hydrogen fuel cell energy budget by almost $100 million dollars according to the US Department of Energy for the year 2023. The rise of clean fuel cell energy allows the opportunity to generate clean energy without any pollutants. Being able to provide energy to power plants, transportation systems such as railroads, ships, trucks, buses, and even cars. This has become a route that many other Oil Refineries have been embracing at very small scales.

Will Richmond, California have the probability to once again become the example of innovation, inspiration and growth? Can history, landscape, people and energy coexist?