Greenwood Common is a model residential grouping set on a spectacular site in the Berkeley Hills. It is an innovative plan for a suburban housing development, deviating from the typical American pattern of single houses on lots facing a street. Here each house sits on a small lot and automobile and pedestrian traffic are separated. A shared open space compensates for the small individual properties and creates a central lawn. Along with creative planning, the development incorporates a distinctive Modern landscape design characteristic of the San Francisco Bay Area by nationally-known landscape architect Lawrence Halprin. The site also contains eight Modern houses designed by some of the most influential architects of the Bay Area, who were significant practitioners by the Bay Area's distinctive regional adaptation of Modernism. Characteristic elements include economical materials and plans, flat or low-pitched roofs, simple volumes, wide overhanging eaves, wood siding, and a strong indoor/outdoor connection created with expanses of glass, patios, terraces and decks.