Sidewalks to Cheap Coffee Shops: How Third Places Keep Us Connected
By Marynoel Strope Last month, the Mission’s Borderlands Cafe announced their impending closure. Though there are plenty of coffee shops nearby, the loss of the business struck a chord with the community. “We’re kind of a cafe designed for Valencia Street in 2010, not Valencia Street in 2020,” owner Alan Beatts told Mission Local of…
2019 Play Streets SF Applications Now Open
Applications are now open for the 2019 season of Play Streets SF! Throw your own series of play-focused block parties and transform your street into an accessible, car-free open space for children, seniors and neighbors to connect.
San Francisco removes minimum parking requirements citywide
On December 21, the Mayor signed Supervisor Jane Kim’s ordinance eliminating minimum parking requirements citywide. The ordinance goes into effect on January 20. In October, the City’s Planning Commission unanimously recommended removing citywide parking requirements as part of their review of legislation to limit new driveways along the City’s most important transit, walking, and cycling…
Rethinking Residential Zoning
Residential zoning districts encompass 70 percent of San Francisco’s private land. Current zoning permits only one or two units per lot on most of the City’s residentially-zoned land. As the housing crisis in San Francisco and the Bay Area worsens, and as the City and the region continue to struggle with transportation and sustainability, the…
Planning for a Livable City
To a casual observer, San Francisco appears to be struggling with linked crises – unaffordable housing, dysfunctional transportation, growing inequality, aging and inadequate infrastructure, and financial and ecological unsustainability – with no real plan. Look a little closer, and you’ll find that the City has many official plans and many ongoing planning efforts, and numerous…
Retail and the Livable City, Part 2
Retail contributes to city vitality, character, and livability, as well as the city’s economy. Retail faces many challenges, but San Francisco can help local grow and thrive. In Part 1, we talked about rising rents and vacant storefronts, fostering a diverse and complementary mix of uses, and how good buildings make good retail districts. Here…
Retail and the Livable City, Part 1
It’s hard to imagine a city without retail – shops, retail services, cafes, restaurants, and bars. Retail contributes to city vitality, character, and livability, as well as the city’s economy. Retail businesses provide thousands of jobs. A robust locally-owned retail sector expands and diversifies economic opportunities for residents. Local ownership also provides an economic multiplier…
2017: The Year in Livability
We knew going into it that 2017 would be an eventful year, and a pivotal one for sustainability, equity, and livability. Here are some of the highlights, breakdowns, and breakthroughs which shaped San Francisco’s livability in 2017. Donald Trump vs. the Planet Donald Trump and the Republican congress led an unprecedented assault on federal environmental…
Keeping Arts and Artists in San Francisco
The Ghost Ship Fire in Oakland tragically showed the insecurities and dangers faced by people seeking affordable space to live, create art, and share art. It focused attention on what San Francisco and other Bay Area cities can do to keep artists, artisans, and makers in the city, and create and sustain affordable living, studio, and…
Supervisors Vote to Legalize New Accessory Units Citywide
On Tuesday July 19, the Board of Supervisors voted to 10-1 to legalize new accessory units in buildings citywide. In May, two separate ordinances were introduced to legalize accessory units citywide. One was sponsored by Supervisor Peskin, and the other is by Supervisors Wiener and Farrell. The supervisors merged their ordinances into a compromise version, which won the support of 10…
