'Living Innovation Zones' Activate Public Space in San Francisco

Writing for The Architect’s Newspaper, Anna Bergren Miller describes San Francisco’s new Living Innovation Zones (LIZ) program as a new experiment in placemaking that “encourages the creation of temporary, flexible spaces for community interaction.”

The SF Mayor’s Office of Civic Innovation, SF Planning, and SF Department of Public Works partnered to open the first LIZ installation last year, called PAUSE, at Yerba Buena Lane and Market Street. “A cross between an art installation and a science exhibit, PAUSE comprises a pair of ‘whispering dishes’ modeled on one of the Exploratorium’s longtime exhibits, a musical bench activated by hand-holding, and a pedal-powered cell phone charging station," according to Miller. 

Josh Bacigalupi of the Exploratorium’s Studio for Public Spaces designed the PAUSE installation, with support from Gehl Architects and the Yerba Buena Community Benefit District.