Santa Cruz Downtown Recovery Plan, Santa Cruz, CA

ROMA prepared a comprehensive recovery plan for downtown Santa Cruz after the devastating Loma Prieta earthquake resulted in the demolition of numerous historic buildings and the alternating seasons of freeze and drought which brought about the decline of street trees along what was then called the Pacific Garden Mall. These disastrous events were profoundly felt in the emotional life of the community, but eventually began to be seen as an opportunity to rethink the role of the downtown that had for many years been experiencing a decline as a commercial center.