The Future of Pavement to Parks
We worked with the City of San Francisco and San Francisco State University to host imagination sessions on the future of the Pavement to Parks program. The Pavement to Parks program is a public laboratory where the City works with communities to test the reclamation of public open space for pedestrians.
For 10 weeks, a team of Urban Studies students from SFSU investigated how parklets and Pavement to Parks plazas fit into the fabric of San Francisco — how do they work? what are the challenges in creating and maintaining these unique spaces? We hosted 3 public forums with panelists from the Planning Department, the Department of Public Works, Supervisor Scott Wiener’s office, Castro Business Improvement District, Union Square Business Improvement District, and others to answer questions and imagine what might be next for these spaces. A report will be forthcoming.
About Pavement to ParksSan Francisco ’s streets and public rights-of-way make up fully 25% of the city’s land area, more space even than is found in all of the city’s parks. Many of our streets are excessively wide and contain large zones of wasted space, especially at intersections. San Francisco’s new “Pavement to Parks” projects seek to temporarily reclaim these unused swathes and quickly and inexpensively turn them into new public plazas and parks. During the temporary closure, the success of these plazas will be evaluated to understand what adjustments need to be made in the short term, and ultimately, whether the temporary closure should be a long term community investment.
Source: SF Planning Department
Our Plan for Pavement to Parks
We intend for parklets and plazas to be used as pedestrian facilities that fit into the context of the neighborhood, and we urge that a specific policy framework be adopted. A parklet is a small public sidewalk extension that uses non permanent materials to:
- -provide a quick escape
- -promote outdoor activity
- -enhance the streetscape by featuring greenery
- -build a sense of community and bring together public and private sector
- -make use of underutilized space
26 exist today, 42 are in construction, and 60 are waiting for permit.
Although experimental, the parklets need implementation for long term success although challenges are bound to arrive
- -most pressing issue: requirement of temporary nature with a permanent appearance
- -maintenance: project sponsor because city currently does not have resources
- -cost: annual permit $1,500 and construction costs of $20,000
The city, nonprofits, and small business owners can help the program move forward by:
- -adoption of a specific policy framework
- -incentivization of private sponsors
- -facilitation of partnerships and public outreach
