The proposal focuses on placemaking and street activation as tools for economic development.
Urban design studio Sitelab, working with the Downtown SF Partnership, revealed a Public Realm Action Plan (PRAP) that reimagines the struggling city’s downtown. “Sitelab and Downtown SF have used the city’s history to inform the plan’s action areas, such as increasing accessibility for pedestrians.”
As Rebecca Barker explains in Fast Company, “Originally published in July 2022, the PRAP—winner of the Pandemic Action category for Fast Company’s 2023 Innovation by Design Awards—identified 6 areas of focus that would make the 43 blocks encompassing the city’s Financial District and Jackson Square ‘a place to be.’”
The plan focuses on “filling alleyways or unused public spaces with pop-ups and vendors, partnering with local restaurants and musicians, and painting murals in accessible areas.”
FULL STORY: This ambitious plan would revitalize downtown San Francisco to end its ‘doom loop’
A ‘Public Realm Action Plan’ Charts San Francisco’s Post-Covid Comeback
A nonprofit business group released a plan to trigger the post-pandemic revitalization of Downtown San Francisco by reclaiming public space for human scale activity. But is an improved public realm sufficient to meet the challenge?
11,000 Housing Units Possible with S.F. Office Conversions, Study Says
A new study by SPUR and the Urban Land Institute’s San Francisco chapter estimates a specific number of apartment units that could be built from vacant office units in the city.
A Case Study of San Francisco's Evolution—at 10th and Mission
San Francisco Chronicle Architecture Critic John King dives into the economic and planning dynamics behind the remarkable transformation of 10th and Mission in San Francisco.
Americans May Be Stuck — But Why?
Americans are moving a lot less than they once did, and that is a problem. While Yoni Applebaum, in his highly-publicized article Stuck, gets the reasons badly wrong, it's still important to ask: why are we moving so much less than before?
Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage
Penn State researchers have found that repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal-assisted compressed-air energy storage can boost efficiency, reduce environmental risks, and support clean energy and job transitions.
Placekeeping: Setting a New Precedent for City Planners
How a preservation-based approach to redevelopment and urban design can prevent displacement and honor legacy communities.
San Francisco’s Muni Ridership Grew in 2024
The system saw its highest ridership since before the Covid-19 pandemic, but faces a severe budget shortage in the coming year.
Colorado Lawmakers Move to Protect BRT Funding
In the face of potential federal funding cuts, CDOT leaders reasserted their commitment to planned bus rapid transit projects.
Safe Streets Funding in Jeopardy
The Trump administration is specifically targeting bike infrastructure and other road safety projects in its funding cuts.
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.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
City of Moreno Valley
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
City of Cambridge, Maryland