Tag Archives: urban design

Hayes Valley Headlines

At the edge of Hayes Valley enjoy delicious food served out of roaming mobile vehicles. Organized by “Off-the-Grid” you will find a food corral bordering Hayes Valley every Saturday for this season of mobile food. This Saturday head over to McCoppin at Valencia to hunt down breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Hayes Valley is closer to having Hayes Street be a two way traffic street between Gough and Van Ness. The HVNA has long been a supporter of livable streets where cars in the neighborhood travel at a moderate rate which increases safety for other drivers, pedestrians and cyclists. Read more about it at SF Streetsblog and our HVNA previous article by
Jim Warshell see page 3.

Parklets, And How to Get One

You may have seen a few parking spaces around San Francisco that have been transformed into a miniature gathering space for people to eat, lounge and talk. These miniature parks are referred to as “Parklets.” The Parklet installations are a partnership between businesses and The San Francisco Great
Streets Project.

Three Parklets currently exist in San Francisco. They are located on Divisidero Street near Grove Street (hosted by Mojo Bicycle Cafe), 22nd Street at Bartlett (hosted by Cafe Revolution, Escape from NY Pizza and Lolo), and Columbus Avenue near Green Street (hosted by Caffe Greco).

In September, the San Francisco Planning Department posted a request for proposals for new Parklets. The applications were filed by October 18th. The planning department received almost forty permit applications
during that one month period. The planning department is still processing these applications, but after the applications are reviewed and some Parklets are granted, the planning department intends to release another request for proposals. The Parklets need to be hosted by an organization.
The organizations that can host a Parklet include Community Benefit Districts (CBDs), storefront business owners, non-profit institution/community organizations and possibly another type of applicant reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

If you are interested in hosting a Parklet, please visit the Great Streets Projects website where they have lots of information and resources to aid you through the application process: www.sfgreatstreets.org/parklets

Walk Stops

by Mari Hunter

Invited by GOOD Magazine to host a City Research and Development (R+D) event, a small group of impassioned District 5 residents with strong professional and/or personal interests in urban planning, environment, safety, and community ideals gathered in August to brainstorm and produce strategies to improve the safety, identity and transportation network of District 5. From this session, the D5 R+ D group developed a concept that addressed safety, identity and transportation all in one–Walk Stops.

Walk Stops

Image Courtesy Ron Stanford, inspired by Booka Alon, D5 resident and Marketing and Development Strategist with Hayes Valley Farm

Inspired by Portland Oregon’s City Repair Placemaking Program, Walk Stops will calm traffic, encourage walking as a viable mode of transport, and reinforce the concept of community. The vision is to elevate the walking environment with ergonomic or patterned crosswalks, provide a little extra space for pedestrians with bulb-outs (expanded sidewalk space) at corners, provide information with wayfinders and when possible, offer a resting place with benches and greenery. Walk Stops will emphasize the pedestrian space to draw in more pedestrians and to alert drivers to recognize they need to drive slowly. The Walk Stop is also intended to reflect the identity of the area in which is it located effectively, building a sense of community.

Since that first meeting, GOOD Magazine listed Walk Stops as their top strategy (www.good.is/post/sanfrancisco- is-2010-city-r-d-winner/), and the creators, with the leadership of Thea Selby (D5 resident and President of the Lower Haight Merchant + Neighbor Association), have further developed the concept with mapping and sketches, development and implementation research, and have explored funding opportunities.

In the coming weeks, the creators will be meeting with an architect to finalize designs as well as the first three locations—one in Hayes Valley is among five being considered. If you would like to get involved or get more information email voice@hayesvalleysf.org Attention: Mari Hunter.

Hayes Valley celebrates PARK(ing) Day [October-November 2010 print edition]

by Mari Hunter and Jamie Lopez
With a reputation of being at the core of ingenuity, San Francisco played a gracious host in 2005 as Rebar, an art and design studio, transformed a metered parking space into public space. Coined PARK(ing) Day, the project was created to bring attention to the significant discrepancies of developed public space, 70% for vehicles and 30% for everything else (Rebar, 2010). In addition to illustrating the need for more open space,

PARK(ing) Day’s mission also intends to examine the values that generate the form of urban public space including how it is created and allocated. The original PARK consisted of a patch of sod, a tree and a bench and stood for two hours. PARK(ing) Day is now an annual open-source global event where anyone and everyone is encouraged to temporarily convert metered parking spaces into a space that addresses specific community needs, generosity, cultural expression, socializing and play. Previous installations have ranged from free health clinics and ecology demonstrations to political seminars, free bike repair shops and a wedding ceremony.

PARK(ing) Day 2010, held on Friday, September 17, began as a typical summer day in San Francisco, with drizzle enough to wet your hair. The weather forecaster’s ‘almost rain’ didn’t dampen the spirit of Hayes Street merchants as they claimed the parking space in front of their respective stores, each a uniquely constructed statement of what could be.

True Sake, 524 Hayes
Quote: “Game on!” and “Welcome to Hayes Field”
True Sake created a miniature soccer field complete with netted training goals, boundary cones and, of course, a regulation soccer ball for those passersby who just can’t get enough of a great game.

Propeller, 555 Hayes
A car covered in grass sod with small porcelain pigs.

Zonal Art Park, 568 Hayes
This year featuring art installations by Mark Baugh-Sasaki Artist Mark Baugh-Sasaki and Zonal proprietor Russell created a user-friendly sculpture garden that encouraged people to have a seat, take some tea and experience the influence of art works amongst the neighborhood environment, whatever the space. “Public art is a necessity!”


Cisco Home, 580 Hayes
Quote: “Clothing optional!” A minimal garden/terrace setting with wood deck chairs, table for drinks and magazines. It’s summer – enjoy a staycation on Hayes Street.

Momi Toby’s Revolution Cafe, 528 Laguna
A spot of grass to create a place for play.

Neighborhood Parks Council and City Car Share, City Car Share lot on Hayes @ Octavia
“Neighborhood Parks Council and City Car Share have participated in PARK (ing) Day for many years. One car off the streets takes 15 tons of carbon emissions out of our environment. Our vision is instead to have a lot more green spaces in the neighborhood like we’ve created here today.” Victoria Bell, Deputy Director, Neighborhood Parks Council

Learn more about PARK(ing) day here.

Propose a Parklet in Hayes Valley

SF Pavement to Parks is calling for proposals of new parklets around the city. A parklet is the conversion of a parking space into a public park space in which people can sit, relax and enjoy the city. The SF program is hoping to approve around twenty-five new small parks.

Eligible applicants include:
1. Community Benefit Districts (CBDs)
2. Storefront business owners
3. Non‐profit institutions and community organizations
4. Other applicants may be considered on a case by case basis.

The deadline for submission is October 18th.

Great Streets Projects also has more information about Parklets. FYI – http://sfgreatstreets.org/2010/09/get-a-parklet/

HVNA: Advocates for Great Urbanism [August-September 2010 print edition]

By Sarah Karlinsky

One of the first things I did when I started working at SPUR in September of 2005 was to get up to speed on the Market and Octavia Better Neighborhood Plan. I quickly learned that Market and Octavia was an exceptionally thoughtful neighborhood plan, one which balanced a desire to increase density in appropriate transit-rich locations while protecting the fragile virtues of the fine grained residential neighborhoods within the plan boundaries. In studying the Market and Octavia Plan I also learned about the heroic effort to bring down the Central Freeway and replace it with the Octavia Boulevard. Bringing down the Central Freeway was a major political battle – a battle that was lead by several members of the Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association, including Patricia Walkup and Robin Levitt.


Proxy’s creative solution for Hayes Valley’s underutilized lots: a center for sustainable food,arts, culture and community serving uses. Image: courtesy of envelope a+d

I was impressed with what I was learning. HVNA seemed to me to be the best possible type of neighborhood association, one which was fiercely committed to creating a great urban community, a neighborhood not afraid to embrace density and cutting edge architecture in the right locations, a neighborhood incredibly excited about encouraging car-free spaces and woonerf style streets. As I began to attend the Market and Octavia adoption hearings, I was even more impressed. Members of HNVA turned out week after week to fight for the neighborhood plan that they had helped to craft. They were committed to the ideals embodied in the plan but willing to compromise when appropriate. Above all, they were impassioned advocates for the plan. I greatly enjoyed sitting in the back row of the Planning Commission chambers chatting with Paul Olsen, Robin Levitt, Jason Henderson and others waiting for another long evening hearing to begin.

Now that the Market and Octavia Plan has been adopted, HVNA is once again working to find ways to nurture great urbanism. Recently SPUR hosted a forum called “Taking (temporary) root: Pop-up storefronts and an urban farm in Hayes Valley.” SPUR members got to hear about the ways that vacant lots in the neighborhood are being activated, including the creation of the amazing Hayes Valley Farm located on a 1.5 acre lot where the Central Freeway used to touch down. A plan currently in the works called “Proxy” would allow temporary uses to be developed on two freeway parcels. I continue to be impressed with HVNA. It is a neighborhood association with great ideas and it is not afraid to work tirelessly to put those ideas into action.

Sarah Karlinsky is the Deputy Director of the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association.