El Cerrito Plaza Shopping Center is remarkably accessible
Yellow arrows show walk-in access points to the El Cerrito Plaza Shopping Center.
By Steve Price
El Cerrito Plaza is much better embedded in its surrounding urban environment than most other shopping centers. A Google Map tour of Northern California shopping centers (see three examples below) will show you that they are commonly fenced off from adjacent neighborhoods by large arterial roads, freeways, drainage channels, industrial uses, subdivisions that end in cul-de-sacs, and the like — not places that serve as safely accessible destinations by walking or bicycling from surrounding homes. The Plaza Shopping Center has great potential for shopping by multiple means of travel, not just cars.
Stanford Shopping Center: Surrounded by land uses and roadways obstructing approaches from local homes
San Bruno Towne Center: Commercial buildings that turn their backs to bordering streets
Pleasant Hill Shopping Center: Poor connectivity via safe streets for local residents and extensive parking pushing destinations apart