Pavement to Parks is a collaborative effort between the Mayor's Office, the Department of Public Works, the Planning Department, and the Municipal Transportation Agency.

Background
San Francisco ’s streets and public rights-of-way make up fully 25% of the city’s land area, more space even than is found in all of the city’s parks. Many of our streets are excessively wide and contain large zones of wasted space, especially at intersections. San Francisco’s new “Pavement to Parks” projects seek to temporarily reclaim these unused swathes and quickly and inexpensively turn them into new public plazas and parks. During the temporary closure, the success of these plazas will be evaluated to understand what adjustments need to be made in the short term, and ultimately, whether the temporary closure should be a long term community investment.

Precedent
San Francisco’s Pavement to Parks projects are inspired by the recent success of similar projects in New York City - where plazas and seating areas have been created in excess roadway simply by painting or treating the asphalt, placing protective barriers along the periphery, and installing moveable tables and chairs. Streets such as Broadway have been transformed into much more inviting and pedestrian-friendly spaces through New York’s efforts.

Design
Each Pavement to Parks project is intended to be a public laboratory where the City can work with the community to test the potential of the selected location to be permanently reclaimed as public open space. Materials and design interventions are meant to be temporary and easily moveable should design changes be desired during the trial-run. Seating, landscaping, and treatment of the asphalt will be common features of all projects.

Location Selection
Locations for Pavement to Parks projects are selected based on the following criteria:

• Sizeable area of under-utilized roadway
• Lack of public space in the surrounding neighborhood
• Pre-existing community support for public space at the location
• Potential to improve pedestrian and bicyclist safety via redesign
• Surrounding uses that can attract people to the space
• Identified community or business steward

The City welcomes suggestions for locations that meet these criteria. Please contact sfpavementtoparks@sfgov.org if you have a place in mind.

Built Projects

	17TH AND CASTRO "CASTRO COMMONS" Location: End of 17th Street at the intersection of Castro and Market Streets For more information on the project, please click here.
	“22ND STREET PARKLET” Location: 22nd and Bartlett Streets. For more information on the project, please click here.
	“COLUMBUS AVENUE PARKLET” Location: Columbus Avenue, between Vallejo and Green Streets. For more information on the project, please click here.
	“DIVISADERO STREET PARKLET” Location: West side of Divisadero Street, between Hayes and Grove Streets. For more information on the project, please click here.
	“GUERRERO PARK” Location: Intersection of San Jose Avenue and Guerrero Street. For more information on the project, please click here.
	“NAPLES GREEN” Location: Naples Street between Rolph Street and Geneva Avenue. For more information on the project, please click here.
	“NOE VALLEY PARKLETS” Location: 24th Street at Sanchez Street & 24th Street at Noe Street. For more information on the project, please click here.
	“SHOWPLACE TRIANGLE” Location: Intersection of 16th Street and 8th Street. For more information on the project, please click here.

Upcoming Projects

In December of 2010, Mayor Gavin Newsom announced the City’s latest Pavement to Parks project, a new and innovative public space in the heart of San Francisco’s commercial downtown as part of a new design and financial partnership between the City & County of San Francisco, The Union Square Business Improvement District (BID) and Audi of America. This new public space will take the form of a continuous pedestrian promenade along Powell Street for two blocks between Ellis and Geary Streets, running alongside the famed Cable Car. The new Powell Street Promenade will provide more space for pedestrians to sit and relax and enjoy one of San Francisco’s most vibrant corridors. The City, the BID, and Audi will be working together over the coming months to develop a final design.

Over an average weekend, up to 100,000 pedestrians walk along this portion of Powell Street, contributing to a highly animated yet often congested sidewalk experience. The Powell Street Promenade will provide extra space for people to walk, sit at a table or on a bench, chat with a friend, or just watch as thousands of people pass by. Wood, stone, and metal trim will provide a rich visual quality to the space, softened by landscaping and pedestrian scale lighting.

The Powell Street Promenade is scheduled to be installed by late Spring of 2011.

Read the Mayor's Press Release here

	"POWELL STREET PROMENADE" Location: Powell Street, from Ellis to Geary
	Conceptual Rendering image courtesy RHAA
	Conceptual Block Layout image courtesy RHAA

Additional Sites:
The City is analyzing the potential for additional sites to receive Pavements to Park treatments. To find out more or to suggest a site, please contact sfpavementtoparks@sfgov.org.