San Francisco Development Centers Pedestrians, Public Space

A new waterfront development in San Francisco could offer a more pedestrian-oriented model for U.S. neighborhoods, writes Nate Berg in Fast Company. “Uniquely, the neighborhood has been designed with pedestrian-first streets that do not allow on-street parking. The new street rooms are designed to give pedestrians more spaces to use along its two main corridors.”

Even in walkable San Francisco, car-free streets are rare. The 28-acre development, called Mission Rock, still offers some car access, but “The street itself at Mission Rock is revolutionary in its own regard. It was designed to be curbless, creating a completely flat 60-foot canyon between the building frontages on either side. Subtle steel grates provide drainage and a marker between the narrow car-accessible space and the rest of the public realm, and a small trapezoidal grade elevation makes a perceptible barrier for the visually impaired.”

The project includes three “street rooms” that center on public art that is designed to be sat on, climbed, or rested under. According to CMG Landscape Architecture cofounder Willett Moss, “The street rooms were developed to be places that people can hang out. They are, in this case, places where things are whimsical, and different identities and qualities and experiences can be expressed.”