Like many political movements, neighborhood preservationists used art to convey a message. This poster, drawn by NPO co-author Martha Nicoloff, illustrates the fears of homeowners in a cartoonish style, with an idyllic neighborhood being swallowed up by a bulldozer. Home, as a concept, is incredibly personal – activists wanted protection from developers they viewed as big money, big machine bullies.
Nicoloff, Martha, and Kenneth Hughes. “Neighborhood Preservation Ordinance : Documenting a Community in Action.”. 1992. 297 leaves, 28 cm, Institute of Governmental Studies, Berkeley, California.
Martha Nicoloff, co-author of the Neighborhood Preservation Ordinance, recounted the battle to pass it
The battle over West Berkeley houses began in the 1950's
A rousing image of "the neighborhood," by a NPO organizer, that suggests the vision behind the ordinance
The People's Housing Conference brought together a spectrum of housing advocates
The co-author of the NPO cast the initiative as part of the fight to save Berkeley's "struggling flatlands"
The co-author of the Neighborhood Preservation Ordinance sketches his political journey
The question asked by the Neighborhood Preservation Ordinance's authors: could your home be the next one demolished?
The Neighborhood Preservation Ordinance, succinctly explained
The Daily Cal's coverage of the Neighborhood Preservation Ordinance captured the heat prior to the election
Part of the Chamber of Commerce's campaign against the NRO: a "voter's handbook" that looked city-endorsed
With support from Berkeley's flats and foothills, the NPO won at the ballot box
BPO advocates felt that their opponents had hijacked the process around the new city Master Plan
Landmark preservation was a parallel campaign
The NPO's fifth birthday was a cause for celebration
Five years after its passage, the NPO won big: the City Council endorsed neighborhood review of development
The scandal that doomed the West Berkeley Industrial Park project
A tiny house can draw a big price in West Berkeley