Vote yes on Prop L, the ComMUNIty Transit Act, for better Muni

Proposition L, the ComMUNIty Transit Act is headed to the ballot box this November, after volunteers gathered over 17,800 signatures to put the measure on the ballot. If approved it will provide another $30 million annually for better Muni service. The measure will increase the City’s gross receipts business tax on ride hail companies, including Uber and Lyft,…

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…

Planning Commission Approves Better Environmental Review Standards

On Thursday March 3, San Francisco’s Planning Commission unanimously approved an essential, and long overdue, change to the way it reviews projects under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The Commission replaced automobile level of service (LOS), a measure of automobile delay at intersections, with vehicle miles travelled (VMT) as their chief transportation measure for analyzing projects. This…

Transformative Transbay

The Transbay Transit Center project, along with Caltrain’s planned modernization, promises to be one of the most transformative infrastructure projects for San Francisco and the region in both the near term and for years to come. Phase One of the Transbay Transit Center project is scheduled to open in 2017. It includes an elevated regional bus terminal, connected…

Creating Sustainable Door-to-Door Transportation

Although sprawling, the overwhelming majority of Bay Area residents have convenient access to sustainable modes of transit. A major hurdle for many potential users is the short distance between home and transit, and again between work and transit. These first and last mile challenges keep many people who either live or work in transit poor…

Transit Victories of 2014

In 2014, San Francisco and Alameda County voters strongly affirmed their support for transit, walking, and cycling. In San Francisco, Prop L, a policy measure which sought to undermine the City’s transit-first policy, traffic calming, and innovative parking management programs, was resoundingly defeated in the November election. Proposition A, a $500 million bond for transit priority projects and…

Livable City Challenges Sunday Meter Rollback

Livable City and the San Francisco Transit Riders Union have appealed SFMTA’s decision to roll back San Francisco’s successful Sunday parking meter program. In January 2013, San Francisco finally started enforcing parking meters from 12-6 pm on Sundays on the City’s commercial streets. An evaluation [PDF] completed in December found the program to be successful – it increased…

Great Transit for a Livable City

Livable City’s Great Transit campaign is working to create a seamlessly integrated public transit network for San Francisco and the region that is fast, reliable, sustainable, and fully accessible. Our transportation investments should move the city towards an environmentally sustainable future, as well as support community health and social equity. Our priorities are improving transportation options for…

Car-Free Living

Our culture’s reliance on the automobile has compromised our personal health, community cohesion, and the local and global environment. San Francisco’s compact and walkable scale, its dense, urbane, and mixed-use neighborhoods, and its extensive public transit allow one-third of San Francisco households to live without an automobile. Livable City is dedicated to making San Francisco…

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