Category Archives: Public Spaces / Parks

Thumbs Up For Market-Octavia and 55 Laguna

14 April 2008 – 12:58 pm

A busy week prevented me from posting about this earlier, but better late than never: as you may have already read in the Chronicle, there have been favorable updates at the Board of Supervisors concerning the Market & Octavia Plan, which I addressed in a post a couple weeks ago. Supervisors Mirkarimi and McGoldrick had [...]

By Eric | Also posted in Affordable Housing, Better Neighborhoods, Historic Preservation, Market-Octavia / Hayes Valley, NIMBY, Parking, San Francisco, Streetscape, Zoning | Comments (0)

John King Exposes San Francisco’s “Pockets of Peace”

23 March 2008 – 4:35 pm

John King exposes San Francisco’s “Pockets of Peace.” John King, who handles the Chronicle’s output regarding architecture and design, came out with a nice piece today exposing downtown San Francisco’s public spaces, many of which are remarkably hidden and little known. Thanks to the downtown plan, which stipulates the provision of privately owned and maintained [...]

By Eric | Also posted in Asides, San Francisco | Comments (0)

Gearing Up For Block 11

13 March 2008 – 10:53 pm

Because most of the general interest in the Transbay redevelopment process seems to focus, quite understandably, on the Pelli Transit Center and its signature tower, it is easy to forget how much planning is required to deal with the rest (really, most) of the redevelopment zone — now-vacant lots once occupied by the Embarcadero Freeway, [...]

By Eric | Also posted in Affordable Housing, Project Proposals, Rincon Hill / Transbay / South of Market, San Francisco | Comments (0)

Minty Fresh Plaza

24 November 2007 – 11:32 pm

Last Friday, an 18,000 square foot section of pavement was reclaimed for pedestrians, with the official opening of Mint Plaza, on Fifth Street between Market and Mission. The plaza occupies a former section of Jessie Street, right next to the Old Mint building. By 2011, this 1874 Alfred Mullett structure will house the Museum of [...]

By Eric | Also posted in Cultural Buildings, Rincon Hill / Transbay / South of Market, San Francisco | Comments (1)

(PARK)ing Day 2007

23 September 2007 – 12:28 am

When you stop and think about it, it is amazing just how much space we have chosen to give over to automobiles. Certainly, there are the car storage locations: surface parking lots, street parking spots, driveways, and huge parking garages. But what about freeways? Entire neighborhoods have been sacrificed and razed to the ground to [...]

By Eric | Also posted in Air Quality & Emissions, Parking, San Francisco | Comments (0)