Recent Streetsblog SF posts about Urban Design

Eyes on the Street: The Mean Sidewalks of San Francisco

By Michael Rhodes | Jul 17, 2009 | 10 Comments

This home’s beauty, like most in the city, is not on display for pedestrians, those most likely to look at it. San Francisco is renowned for the beauty of its its Victorian homes almost as much as its rugged seaside setting. But with most buildings in the city, the architectural grace starts at the second […]

Getting More Out of San Francisco’s Carved-up Curbs

By Michael Rhodes | Jul 14, 2009 | 21 Comments

Could cantilevered racks help San Francisco get more out of vacant curbside street space? http://www.flickr.com/photos/bike/ / CC BY-SA 2.0 In a city strapped for bike parking and sidewalk space, there is an abundance of one commodity: small strips of curb that seem to be of use to no one. As the lifting of the bike […]

Making 18th Street More Bike, Pedestrian and Commerce Friendly

By Bryan Goebel | Jun 24, 2009 | 11 Comments

Flickr photo: tacopoet99 The crowded sidewalks on 18th Street between Dolores and Guerrero in the Mission are usually packed with foodies inching their way into renowned eateries like Tartine Bakery and Cafe or Delfina Pizzeria and Restaurant. Couple that with a high volume of bikes and a scarcity of bike racks and the block screams […]

17th Street Plaza Well Used Its First Weekend

By Matthew Roth | May 18, 2009 | 2 Comments

Cameron Kephart, a participant in the AIDS/Lifecycle benefit ride, pedals for donations in the plaza. Photo: Frank Yeean Chan via 17th Street Plaza on Facebook. Despite concern from some neighborhood residents that the trial pedestrian plaza on 17th Street and Castro Street would be overrun with drunk revelers, vagrants, and other unsavory characters, those concerns […]

A Livable Street in the Making: 17th Street Ped Plaza Nearly Complete

By Bryan Goebel | May 12, 2009 | 7 Comments

DPW worker painting around an unused track in the plaza. Bollards in the background on the right and left will be filled with gravel and soil and will have plants growing out of them. Photo: Matthew Roth In less than 24 hours, city officials, including Mayor Gavin Newsom, will be standing in a new pedestrian […]

Eyes on the Street: It’s Beginning to Look Like… a Livable Street!

By Bryan Goebel | May 8, 2009 | 3 Comments

Photo by Nick Perry. New sign at the corner of 17th Street and Noe. Photos by Bryan Goebel. A portion of 17th Street in the Castro is being closed to cars at Market this weekend, marking the beginning of San Francisco’s first trial street closure. The two DPT workers installing the new signs late this […]

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