An unconventional outdoor spaces has helped transform a small part of a problem-riddled San Francisco neighborhood.
The Tenderloin is one of the city's most troubled neighborhoods, with high amounts of vagrancy, drug use and crime. One man decided to try to improve the neighborhood by adding plants and trees to a small alleyway.
"'We saw how the alley was being disrespected,' Smith said of those early years. 'It wasn't a healthy place to be, and we wanted to change that. We wanted physical and environmental safety.' With the help of fellow residents, artists and community activists, he set to work.
His approach over the decades has been consistently two-pronged. In addition to employing more conventional tactics of redefining space– from conducting surveys to lobbying city officials- he has consistently pushed boundaries rebel-style. Back in the 1980s, this meant converting Cohen Alley into a temporary performance space. The pieces of sod he and his friends dragged in to create seating littered the pavement in layers of dirt long before formal plans to change the place into a garden existed.
FULL STORY: Pushing Gently: A Look at San Francisco’s Tenderloin National Forest
Four Cities Making the Most of Alley Spaces
Urbanful examines four cities making the most of scare public spaces by reactivating their alleys with programming and pedestrian-friendly designs.
San Francisco Opens Park on Former Great Highway
The Sunset Dunes park’s grand opening attracted both fans and detractors.
San Francisco Development Centers Pedestrians, Public Space
The Mission Rock project eliminates street parking, replacing it with public seating and landscaping.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
DARTSpace Platform Streamlines Dallas TOD Application Process
The Dallas transit agency hopes a shorter permitting timeline will boost transit-oriented development around rail stations.
Congressman Proposes Bill to Rename DC Metro “Trump Train”
The Make Autorail Great Again Act would withhold federal funding to the system until the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), rebrands as the Washington Metropolitan Authority for Greater Access (WMAGA).
Supreme Court Ruling in Pipeline Case Guts Federal Environmental Law
The decision limits the scope of a federal law that mandates extensive environmental impact reviews of energy, infrastructure, and transportation projects.
Texas State Bills to Defund Dallas Transit Die
DART would have seen a 30% service cut, $230M annual losses had the bills survived.
Bikeshare for the Win: Team Pedals to London Cricket Match, Beats Rivals Stuck in Traffic
While their opponents sat in gridlock, England's national cricket team hopped Lime bikes, riding to a 3-0 victory.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission
City of Mt Shasta
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)