The Perils of Planning by Exception

Two big private developments won important approvals in the last month – one from the voters, and the other from the Board of Supervisors. Voters approved Proposition D, approving a height limit increase for the Mission Rock Development on San Francisco’s waterfront, as well as a host of policies related to the development. The Board of Supervisors approved…

Reshaping the Urban Landscape

City Streets comprise 25% of San Francisco’s land area. Most of San Francisco’s street area is used for the movement and storage of private autos, but there is a growing movement to unlock City streets’ potential as temporary and permanent spaces for active transportation, meeting, play, community, greenery, nature, and managing urban waters. This moderated…

Livable City Recommends

Livable City’s recommendations for San Francisco’s November 3, 2015 election Yes on Prop A, Affordable Housing Bond No on Prop D, Mission Rock Development Yes on Prop F, Short-term rental regulation No on G/Yes on H, Clean energy Yes on Prop J, Legacy Business fund Yes on Prop K, Surplus land for Affordable Housing Yes on A…

Annie Alley – Creating Open Space in a Neglected Alley

We are working hard to reclaim our public spaces and ensure privately-owned places are still welcoming to everyone. Public rights-of-way – streets and alleyways – make up about a quarter of San Francisco’s land area. Projects that reclaim alleyways as neighborhood-serving public places with greening, traffic-calming, and pedestrianization are moving forward in 2015. Living Alleys, also known as woonerfs,…

2015 Livability Awards

Please join Livable City for our annual Livability Awards on June 1 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Public Works SF in the Mission.   This event is an opportunity for Livable City to recognize innovators, advocates, and public servants for their leadership and accomplishments and celebrate with our amazing members and friends. Enjoy an open bar,…

Endorsements for the November 4, 2014 Election

2014 brings with it a packed ballot, both on matters of state and local importance. There are several important measures on the ballot this year that touch upon housing, transit, health, and a living wage. On Tuesday, voters will cast ballots on three key transportation-related measures. These measures can either help fund necessary infrastructure and…

Quartet of Housing Measures Will Preserve, Improve, and Increase SF Housing

In the past six months, four housing ordinances championed by Livable City were passed into law. Together, these ordinances will preserve tens of thousands of existing housing units, permitting improvements while strengthening tenant protections, and will permit new units in the Castro neighborhoods. Two ordinances went into effect last week – one creating a path to legalization…

Donate to Community Thrift Store to support Livable City and Sunday Streets

Need a little more space? Want to find a new home for those gently-used items? Looking for more ways to support Livable City and Sunday Streets? Livable City is a partner with Community Thrift Store, San Francisco’s nonprofit thrift store located at 623 Valencia Street between 17th and 18th streets. For donation hours, store hours, and…

A Livable Bay Area

Beyond the Sprawl Economy Sprawl has hit the wall. The unsustainable home mortgage market collided with unsustainable gasoline consumption in 2008. The lowest-density suburbs, furthest from the centers of commerce and culture, were generally the hardest hit, while walkable urban neighborhoods have generally fared better. The crisis of 2008 merely accelerated a larger cultural shift…

Get in Touch

Staff Directory

Darin Ow-Wing, Executive Director
[email protected]

Jessica Tovar, Program Director
[email protected]

Sally Chen, Deputy Director
[email protected]

Tom Radulovich, Senior Policy Fellow
[email protected]

Isaac Santiago, Sunday Streets Program Manager [email protected]

Reina Terry, Program & Development Associate, reina@livablecity.org