The Strawberry Creek watershed consists of property in two cities—Berkeley and Oakland—with two large institutions situated on land owned by the Regents of the University of California: UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. A large urbanized area to the north of the campus also lies within the Strawberry Creek watershed. The cities of Berkeley and Oakland sustain more than 500,000 residents in one of the most densely populated areas in California.
Large urban populations usually mean trouble for small creeks like Strawberry Creek. The increase in urban growth in just 100 years has caused changes in hydrologic conditions from increased impervious paved and roofed areas along with changes in landscaping, such as removal of natural riparian vegetation and invasion by non-native species. This has altered the state of Strawberry Creek and most other urban creeks from pre-development conditions. Normally meandering creeks and rivers became channelized and culverted to move water as quickly as possible to the Bay and to prevent bank erosion and instability. This results in loss of riparian habitat, compounded by pollutant concentration, which degrades water quality and threatens fish and wildlife.
Beneficial uses of Strawberry Creek, such as wildlife habitat, aesthetic enjoyment, and education, are inexorably tied to historic and future land use. This page provides links to reports and planning documents pertaining to land use in the Strawberry Creek watershed.
Land Use in the Strawberry Creek Watershed (CH2MHill 1994)
| Land Use Type | Acreage | Percent |
| Low-Density Residential | 498 | 25.2% |
| Medium-Density Residential | 102 | 5.2% |
| High-Density Residential | 82 | 4.1% |
| Commercial/Residential | 10 | 0.5% |
| Commercial | 170 | 8.6% |
| Industrial | 28 | 1.4% |
| Institutional | 470 | 23.8% |
| Recreational | 29 | 1.5% |
| Open Space | 588 | 29.7% |
UC Berkeley Land Use Plans and Reports
- 1987 Strawberry Creek Management Plan
- 2002 Strategic Academic Plan
- Campus Strategies - Planning Documents
- Includes the 2020 Long Range Development Plan, Environmental Impact Reports and Campus Planning Documents such as the Physical Design Framework, New Century Plan, Landscape Heritage Plan, Landscape Master Plan and Campus Bicycle Plan.
- 2020 Hill Area Fire Fuel Management Plan