Opinion: What San Francisco’s Proposed ‘Family Zoning’ Could Really Mean

In an opinion piece in The San Francisco Standard, Thomas Goetz calls on readers to take San Francisco Mayor Dan Lurie’s “family zoning” proposal literally.

Acknowledging that the proposal may be purely “verbal window-dressing to pave the way for dense upzoning and extensive development,” Goetz argues that “family zoning” could mean something else entirely.

The “family zoning” concept offers a way to say yes to a whole new vision of healthy housing. We need a smart mix of retail, office, housing, and parks to create the sorts of neighborhoods that encourage walking to the store and bumping into your neighbors. Healthy housing also means more than parks or exercise equipment.  We need spaces that foster socializing and fun almost by accident.

Goetz proposes the creation of “loose-use” spaces, “flexible areas where people of all ages can do things like cook, play games, exercise, and relax.” Examples of “low-cost, high-use spaces” that the city could incentivize, Goetz writes, include: free-play spaces that can be used for a variety of sports and activities, fitness circuits, flexible co-working and general hangout spaces, communal cookout areas, and libraries for tools and other households needs.

According to Goetz, “Amenities like these can be built into new buildings or incorporated into existing fallow space in ‘family-zoned’ neighborhoods. Where possible, the city could ensure that parklets provide more than just restaurant seating, and turn other public-space niches into active-use areas. The city could offer tax incentives to developers to carve out more shared space that fosters healthier behaviors.”