This winter, Richmond snagged a coup, with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory selecting the historic—but long struggling—city as the preferred site of a vast new campus devoted to bioscience. While many locals say Richmond is alreaady on an upswing, the new Lab should provide an impressive boost to the community’s economy and morale.

A new plan for West Oakland is in the works—again. Decades ago, the conveniently located but seldom-visited stretch of the city was a vibrant neighborhood and a hot spot for jazz artists like Louis Armstrong. Today, city planners agree, attracting developers is key to transforming the long-blighted area into a booming business locale, a desirable place to live, and a hot destination for East Bay shoppers and diners.