What Makes a Livable Neighborhood?

Patricia's Green Park in Hayes Valley.

Patricia’s Green Park in Hayes Valley.

A livable San Francisco is a network of Livable Neighborhoods. Each neighborhood should have a distinct character, but each should be complete, supporting living, working, commerce, and culture. A Livable Neighborhood is:

Compact Sustainable
Livable neighborhoods conserve land, and are of sufficiently density to support frequent transit service and neighborhood-serving businesses. Livable neighborhoods provide a mix of housing, workplaces, and neighborhood-serving shops and services.
Diverse Healthy
Livable neighborhoods use natural resources and energy sparingly and efficiently, and generate little waste. Livable neighborhoods support the physical and mental health of residents, are clean and safe, and promote social inclusion and sociability.
Green Accessible
Livable neighborhoods are well served by parks, playgrounds, plazas, and greenways. Trees and plantings are integrated into street designs. Buildings are designed to provide compact gardens, courtyards, terraces, and green roofs. Livable neighborhoods support car-free living by being well-connected to citywide and regional destinations by sustainable transportation modes (walking, cycling, public transit, paratransit and taxi). Streets and public transit are designed for universal accessibility.
Diverse More…
Livable neighborhoods offer housing choices suited to all types of households and household incomes, provide a range of jobs, shops, and services, support diverse local businesses. Livable Neighborhoods