Some residents involved in the process to update the city’s zoning code say that Oakland is doing a good job incorporating public concerns into a far-reaching document that will help shape the look and density of the city for decades to come.

Have you met Betty Marvin? The silver-haired historian works for the city of Oakland in a little department called the Oakland Cultural Heritage Survey, a specialized library in the Community and Economic Development Agency. With her tucked-in collared shirt and her small frame, she looks dwarfed next to the towering cabinets in her office that teem with files and binders. But her small hands handle the large clothbound ledgers with ease.