New Plan Aims to Revive Downtown San Francisco

The proposal focuses on placemaking and street activation as tools for economic development.

1 minute read

August 24, 2023, 12:00 PM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


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.”

Tuesday, August 22, 2023 in Fast Company

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