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Fall 2012

Award of Merit:
San Francisco Pioneers New Ways for People to Park and Play

Tens of thousands of people turn the roadways into linear parks during San Francisco’s Sunday Streets, held March through October, in neighborhoods across the city. Shown here is Chinatown. (Photo: Karl Nielsen)

San Francisco’s Sunday Streets attracts residents of all ages to enjoy car-free streets via walking and cycling. (Photo: Karl Nielsen)

On a recent Sunday morning, visitors to San Francisco’s Mission District beheld an unusual sight. The commercial corridor was packed, but there weren’t any cars. Instead, more than two miles of Valencia, Duboce and 24th streets were filled with a lively mix of 50,000 to 70,000 people walking, bicycling, skating — just about anything other than driving a car. The program, called Sunday Streets, is one of a pair of Merit Award-winning projects run by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) that are pioneering new ways for people to park and play and, in the process, are creating more complete and sustainable communities.

Now in its fifth year, Sunday Streets has become a phenomenal success. “It’s overwhelming,” said Sunday Streets Director Susan King. “[Participants] say it’s great. Everybody has a different reason why they think it’s great and different goals coming out here, but it is instant community.”

The program was introduced in 2008 with two events and has expanded to 10 events in 2012. Private sponsors help to underwrite the estimated cost of $50,000 per event. Sunday Streets operates from March through October, moving to diverse neighborhoods across the city.

“We have hundreds of programs on our roster — bands, dance lessons of every type, wheeled objects of every type, music, performance, adult fitness and kids’ activities, programs for pets,” said King. “And it’s different every time, but one thing that’s the same is that ... it’s all free.”

Not only does Sunday Streets promote healthful, physical activity for San Francisco residents and visitors, it also changes the public’s perception of city streets — recasting them as spaces with purposes beyond storing and moving automobiles. According to SFMTA, the program helps illustrate the link between livability and economic vitality and has proved to local businesses that they don’t need car traffic to thrive.

“It’s a great opportunity for merchant corridors,” said King, “putting them on the map, so people will come and shop and spend money, and support their local brick-and-mortar businesses.”

Tens of thousands of people turn the roadways into linear parks during San Francisco’s Sunday Streets, held March through October, in neighborhoods across the city. Shown here is Chinatown. (Photo: Noah Berger)

The flip side of SFMTA’s effort is the agency’s SFpark pilot program, which improves quality of life for city residents and visitors alike by increasing the availability and predictability of parking and freeing the roads from circling drivers and double-parked cars. The decrease in driving and congestion in turn translates to improved safety for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians as well as reduced air pollution, and improved speeds and reliability for public transit.

SFpark’s website at sfpark.org provides real-time information about available parking. The program also offers a mobile app that provides users real-time parking information while on the go.

New parking meters eliminate the need for change because they accept payment via parking card, credit card and phone. Other features that make parking more user-friendly and efficient include longer parking time limits and hourly fees that vary based on current demand.

Reportedly the world’s first comprehensive demonstration of a parking-based approach to congestion management, SFpark covers eight areas with major transit corridors and heavy traffic volumes, embracing about 7,000 metered on-street parking spaces and 12,250 parking spaces available in 14 municipal garages.

“San Francisco has a strong tradition of rethinking how the public right of way might be better used or managed,” said SFpark Manager Jay Primus. “This spirit links SFpark and Sunday Streets. These are two examples of how the SFMTA looks for better ways to use the public right of way to celebrate urban life, or ... to make working, visiting or living in San Francisco even better.”
— Craig Noble

Transactions Fall 2012 Issue: Contents