Ecocity Framework and Standards

Planning, coordinating, and developing the Ecocity Framework and Standards with the guidance of an international steering committee was at the core of Kirstin’s role in this initiative. The framework assesses a city’s progress across 18 categories, charting a path from current conditions to "threshold" ecocity status and beyond. The framework is used in cities and urban areas as a diagnostic tool and guide for urban planning and development decision making.

Ecocity World Summit

Overseeing the Ecocity World Summit, Kirstin manages the world’s longest-running conference series focused on building ecologically healthy cities. The conference gathers urban stakeholders from around the world to address actionable steps cities and citizens can take to harmonize their built environments with living systems.

Gaia Arts Building &Cultural Center

For Ecocity Builders, Kirstin supported a collaborative infill project with a local developer and architect for a breakthrough mixed-use building in the heart of downtown Berkeley, CA. They turned what was going to be a conventional project into an award-winning example of progressive urbanism, featuring the first live rooftop in Berkeley.

Center Street Plaza

Leading this community-based initiative, Kirstin helped citizens reimagine Berkeley’s Center Street using deep green technologies combined with thoughtful community place-making strategies. The design, created by renowned urbanist Walter J Hood, resulted in a community plan endorsed by the City Council and integrated into the SOSIP (Streets and Open Space Improvement Plan) for the city.

Oakland Urban Villages Project

This project combined science and technology with community education to developed a shared vision for a sustainable Oakland, CA. Kirstin led the initiative, launched with funding from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. Working with a team of students at UC Berkeley, as a component of the project they developed a GIS-based mapping method to identify potential new opportunity areas for increased economic development and density.

Village Bottoms Cultural District Plan

As a co-leader of the project, Kirstin’s team worked to document the urban and cultural history of Oakland’s Village Bottoms neighborhood while shaping a vision for a cultural district grounded in ecocity principles. This effort brought together the neighborhood and young Black leaders with local planners, architects, and developers to create a meaningful, collaborative plan.