Destination downtown : streetscape investments for a walkable city

178 Pages·1994·11.5 MB·English

by  Rose, Evan Stuart

Downtown
Destination
Streetscape Investments for a Walkable City
The Downtown Streetscape Plan
Draft for Citizen Review
DQp. r^cKrpe* DEPT.
AUG
2 3-1994
SAN FRANCISCO
PUBLIC LIBRARY
The Planning Department
City and County ofSan Francisco
August 1994
Funding Provided by
22 The San Francisco County
Transportation Authority
City and County of San Francisco 1660 Mission Street
The Planning Department San Francisco, CA 94103-2414
August 18, 1994
Jane Hudson
&
S.F. Public Library/Sci. Doc.
Civic Center
San Francisco, CA 94102
Dear Ms. Hudson:
The Planning Department is pleased to announce the publication of the draft for citizen review of the Downtown
Streetscape Plan. This plan was funded by the San Francisco Transportation Authority and is directed towards
implementing the goals and objectives of the Downtown Plan's Pedestrian Network. The plan offers a general
design organization for the Downtown Pedestrian Network, outlines design concepts for capital improvements,
and details an extensive series of design standards and guidelines for streetscape elements.
The Downtown Streetscape Plan has been developed by the Planning Department with assistance from a range of
individuals, groups, and city agencies including the American Institute of Architects and downtown merchants
and business groups. It aims to achieve three primary goals:
• To provide a coordinated, comprehensive design vision for the Downtown Pedestrian Network.
• To provide standards and guidelines for the placement of streetscape elements by both the public and
private sectors.
• To provide a framework for anticipated capital projects funded by the Proposition B sales tax
administered by the Transportation Authority of the City and County of San Francisco, for privately
financed projects implemented to meet downtown open space requirements, and for public-private
partnership funded projects.
The plan will be presented to the City Planning Commission on August 25, at 3:30 pm, or thereafter, in City
Hall, Room 282. The public comment period will continue until September 29, 1994. Enclosed is a copy of the
plan for your review. We welcome any comments that you have regarding the plan.
If you have questions or would like to discuss the plan, please contact Evan Rose at 558-6291.
Sincerely yours,
Lucian R. Blazej
Director of Planning
ADMINISTRATION CITYPLANNING COMMISSION PLANSAND PROGRAMS IMPLEMENTATION/ZONING
[phone] [phone] [phone] [phone]
FAX:[phone] FAX:[phone]
SANFRANCISCOPUBLICLIBRARY
3 1223 04180 1078
Downtown
Destination
Streetscape Investments for a Walkable City
The Planning Department
City and County of San Francisco
August 1994
Funding Provided by
The San Francisco County
Transportation Authority
D REF 711.5522 R72dd
Rose, Evan Stuart.
Destination downtown
:
streetscape investments
1994
.
3 1223 04180 1078
C
Table of ontents
Executive Summary 1
... . . . . .
.9
Overview
. . . . .11
TheDowntownStreetscapePlan . . . . .12
StudyArea . . '. . .
TheDowntownPedestrianProgram 12
. . . .
DevelopingthePlan . . . . . . 14
.17
Analysis
. . . . .
UrbanDesignFeatures . . . . ..2117
ExistingStreetscapeConditions . . . . .23
PedestrianVolume/Safety . . . .29
StreetImage . . . . . . .33
PedestrianStreetEvaluationMatrix
... . . .
.37
Design Plan
. . . . .37
PlanObjectives . . . . . .38
StreetTypology . . . . . .43
BaseCaseStreets. . . . . .45
SecondLevel Streets
. . . . .
Special Streets . . . . . . . 47
TypologyMatrix . . . . . ..5349
GeneralDesignPolicies
. . . . .
.59
Alleyway Improvements
. . . . .
.73
Union Square Area Improvements
. . . .
.85
Financial District Improvements
. . . .
.95
South ofMarket Improvements
. . . .
Design Guidelines 105
. . . . .
Implementation 163
... .. . . . .
Credits 167
. . . .
PlanningDepartment, CityandCountyofSan Francisco
Summary
Executive
Closetohalfamillionpeoplewalkindowntown SanFranciscoeveryday. Theyarewalking
to andfromtransit, work, shopping, ormaybeto alunchtimesojournatanopenspace. And,
while walking, they seethecityataslowerpaceandasmallerscalethanpeopleincars and
buses. Walkingaffordsintimateobservationsofthecity; astheinfluentialurbanistKevin
Lynchonce noted,pedestrianpathsprovideastrong senseoftheoverallimageofthecity.
And,forbetterandforworse, thephysicalcharacterofthecity'sstreetshasastronginfluence
onthequalityofSanFrancisco'simageforresidentsandvisitorsalike.
Downtown SanFranciscohas aremarkablenumberofurbanresourcestooffervisitors,
shoppers,andworkers. Foremostamongtheseistherichnessanddiversity ofthecity—its
energyandits beauty. ItisthisrichnessthathasmadeSanFranciscobothadesirableplaceto
liveand workas well asoneofthe world'smostpopulardestinations. Yet, itisoftendifficult
toappreciateabeautifulview orawonderful streetsceneifthesidewalkisdirty, indisrepair,
andfilledwithavariety ofneglectedandpoorlyplacedpiecesofstreetfurniture. Theoverall
characteroftheurbanenvironmentisdependenton therichnessoftheviews, the social scene,
andtheconditionsofthestreeton whichtheentireurbanexperienceis viewed. Thecondition
ofthesidewalksisespecially importantinSanFrancisco, acity notedforthequalityofits
architecture,itshumanscale,itsuniqueviews,anditsinnatewalkability. Aninferiorsidewalk
environmentdetractsfromtheperceptionofthis special urbanfabric.
AccordingtosurveysconductedbythePlanningDepartment, almost70% ofthe 300,000
peoplewho workdowntownarrivebytransit,carpool,orby walking. Similarly,60%ofthe
200,000otherpeopleinthedowntownareaeachday arriveby transitorbywalking. Ofthese,
over30% oftheshoppersdowntown usewalkingastheirprimary modeoftransportation. It
isalsoestimatedthat90% ofthe 12milliontouriststhatvisitSanFranciscoeachyearwalk
throughtheUnion Squareareaduringtheirstay inthecity. Asthesenumbersindicate,there
aremanypeoplewhorelyonthedowntownpedestriansystemaseithertheirprimary or
secondary transportationmode. Itisprobablethatthemajorityofthepeople whoarrive
downtown byautowill spendsometimewalkingtoo. Indeed,thecompactnessofdowntown
andtheCity'stemperateclimatecombinetomake walkinganidealmodeoftransportation.
Asaresult,theunderlyingassumptionofthisdesignplanisthatwalkingisessentialinthe
downtown core, andall streetsare,orshouldbe, pedestrian-oriented.
Anegativeimageofthecityinfluencedbyapoorstreetscapeenvironmentcanhavesignificant
andadverseimpactson theeconomic vitalityofthecity asawhole. Visitorsmightchoosenot
to visitagain orpassalongnegativeperceptionsofSanFranciscototheirhometownfriends
andcolleagues, regionalshoppersmightchooseto goamallinsteadofUnion Square, and
businesses,bothlargeandsmall,mightchoosetolocateinaclean, attractive, andwell-
maintainedenvironmentelsewhere. Ultimately,effortstoretainandimproveupontheinnate
attractivenessandllivabilityoftheCity ofSanFranciscomustincludeattentiontoallofthe
componentsoftheurbanexperience,includingtheconditionsofthestreetscape.
rsw,
Summary
Executive
The Downtown Streetscape Plan
TheDowntown StreetscapePlanistheguidingdocumentforthedevelopmentoftheDown-
townPedestrianNetworkcalledforintheDowntownAreaPlan (Objective22,Policy4). The
publicationofthis streetscapeplanforthedowntownpedestrianenvironmentrepresentsafirst
stepinalong-termefforttoimprovesidewalkconditionsindowntownSanFrancisco. Ulti-
mately,thisplan isablueprintforfutureimprovementsofdowntownsidewalksandforthe
creationofan imageabledowntownpedestriansystem. Theintentoftheplanistoassistinthe
developmentofpedestrianprojectsin boththepublic andprivatesectorbyprovidingdesign
ideasforlarge scaleimprovements as wellasguidelinesforindividualsidewalkelements. The
specificgoalsofthisplanarethreefold:
To
provideacoordinated,comprehensivedesign visionfortheDowntownPedestrian
Network. Adesign visionthat:
•Reinforcesthesidewalkasanessentialelementofthepublicrealm.
•Providesforthecomfortand safety needsofpedestrians.
•ContributestotheuniquephysicalcharacteroftheCity.
•Complementstheopenspacenetwork.
•Promoteswalkingastheprimarytransportationmodeinthedowntowncore.
•Unifiesthedowntownstreetscape.
To
providestandardsandguidelinesfortheplacementofstreetscapeelements byboth
thepublicandprivatesectors. Thesestandardsandguidelines willensurethatthemany
sidewalkelementsareappropriately sitedandmeettheoverallgoalsoftheDowntown
PedestrianNetwork.
To
provideaframeworkforanticipatedcapitalprojectsfundedbythePropositionB
salestaxasadministeredbytheTransportationAuthorityofthe Cityand County ofSan
Francisco,forprivatelyfinancedprojectsimplementedtomeetdowntownopenspace
requirements,andforpublic-privatepartnershipfundedprojects.
ThisDowntown StreetscapePlanwas developedbythePlanningDepartmentasacomponent
oftheDowntownPedestrianProjectsprogramfundedbytheTransportationAuthorityofthe
CityandCountyofSanFrancisco.
Planning staffworkedcloselywithmerchants' groups,city agencies,anddesignprofessionals
inthedevelopmentofthisplan. TheSanFranciscoChapteroftheAmericanInstituteof
Architectswasespecially helpfulastheco-sponsoroftheDowntownPedestrianCharretteand
as anon-goingforumfordesign assistanceandfeedback.
2 PlanningDepartment, CityandCountyofSan Francisco
Summary
Executive
Downtown Streetscape Plan Study Area
Thestudy areafortheDowntown Streetscape
PlanencompassestheC-3 districtoutlinedin
theDowntownPlan,exclusiveofmid-Market
andtheCivicCenterbothofwhichare
coveredin anotherstudy. Theboundaries as
indicatedon themapareMason andFifth
Streetstothewest, theEmbarcaderotothe
east,Clay Streettothenorth(except
Chinatown),andFolsom StreettotheSouth.
Thedistrictis furthersub-dvidedintothree
sub-areasthatcorrespondtolanduse and
zoningpatterns: Union Square (Masonto
Kearny,MarkettoBush), theFinancial
District(Kearny totheEmbarcadero,Market
toClay), andSouthofMarket(Fifthtothe
Embarcadero, MarkettoFolsom).
StudyAreaBoundaries
Existing Streetscape Conditions
Whileeachstreetin theDowntownarearaisesspecific issuesandconcerns,therearea
numberofuniversalproblemsthatoccurthroughoutthearea. Identifiedproblemsinclude:
Congestion: Largepedestrian volumes arenotnecessarilyaprobleminavibranturban
environment. Indeed, ahighleveloffoottrafficmakesthedowntownmorebustlingand
interesting. Problemsoccur,though, whenthenumberofpeopleexceedsthecarryingcapacity
ofthesidewalkarea. Inotherwords, ifthesidewalkistoonarrowforthenumberofpeople
andactivitiesonit. Congestedsidewalksarehazardousandcreatesignificantaccessibility
problems.
Queuing Space: Whenthesidewalksaretoocongested, significantproblemscanresultat
thecornersduetoinsufficientqueuingspace. Atcongestedcornerspedestriansoften waitoff
thecurb, aparticularlydangerouspracticeonstreetswithpeak-hourcurblanetraffic.
UnsafeCrosswalks/VehicleConflicts: Conditionssuchaslengthycrosswalks,insufficient
signalizedpedestriancrossingtimes,extensivevehicleturnsthroughthecrosswalk,red-light
running,andinadequatepedestriancrossingislandspresentproblemsforpedestriansandare
evidentthroughoutdowntown.
Summary
Executive
SidewalkClutter/Obstacles: Therearemanyelementsonthesidewalkrangingfrom
streetsignsandparkingmeterstostreettreesandflowerstands. Whilemanyoftheelements
areindeeddesirableand/ornecessary,theirplacementoftenmakesthemobstaclestothrough
pedestrianmovement. Thisproblemisespeciallyacuteon sidewalkswithcongestionprob-
lems.
Accessibility/PoorSidewalkSurfaces: Theconditionslistedabove,combinedwithahost
ofinadequatecornercurbrampsandavarietyofsidewalksurfaces(manyindisrepair), have
createddisabledaccessproblemsthroughoutthedowntownarea.
Lack
ofPedestrianAmenities/UnattractiveStreetscapes: There areanumberof
elementsthatmakethestreetscapepleasant,includingstreettrees, benches, and, inSan
Francisco,historicdetails. Well-designedpedestrian amenitiesareakey elementincreatinga
walkableandmemorableenvironment. Moreover,certainamenitiessuchasbenchesgreatly
contributetothecomfortofpedestriansbygivingthemplacestorest, socialize, andseethe
city. DowntownSanFranciscoisnotablefortheabsenceofmanyoftheseamenities. Street
treesarelimited, benchesarerare,andhistoric streetlightsareoftenremoved. Asimportant,
significantandwell-knownareaslikeUnionSquareneedstreetscapedesignsthatreflectthe
overalldesignqualityofthedistrict, especiallyiftheyaretosuccessfullycompetewithother
BayAreashoppingdistrictsthatdoprovideapleasantpedestrianenvironment.
Cleanliness: Oneofthemostcommoncomplaintsaboutthedowntownstreetscapeisthe
factthatitis "dirty." Someofthemorecommon itemsthatrespondentsmentionedinclude
litter,graffitti, andodors,particularlythosecausedbythelackofpublicrestrooms.
Orientation/PoorSignage: Althoughthereareanumberofprominentvisualmarkersin
thedowntownarea, thelackofadequatepedestrian signageoftenmakestheareaquite
confusingfortourists, aproblemthatisexacerbatedbythestreetgridshiftatMarketStreet.
LackofConsistency: Thisproblemismostevidentwithsidewalkpavingpatterns. Some
blockshavewidelydifferingpavingmaterials infrontofeachindividualproperty,andmany
ofthesearein various statesofdisrepair. Similarly,theproliferationofdifferentelements,
includingplanters, streettrees, andstreetlightsononeblockoftencreatesvisualcacophony
whichdiminishestheeffectivenessoftheimprovements. Frequentlytheseimprovementsin
thepublicright-of-wayaremerelyindividualbuildingannouncementsandpersonaldesign
expressions, asopposedtocomponentsofapublicstreetscape.
NeglectofStreetscapeElements: Manyoftheindividualelementsthatarealreadyin
placehavenotbeen maintained. Asaresult, therearemany elementsthathavebecome
eyesores(andoccasionallydangerous)detractingfromtheimageofthearea.
insufficientOpenSpace: Asrecognizedin theDowntownPlan, therearesignificantopen
spacedeficienciesdowntown. Sidewalksareanintegralelementofthedowntownopen space
networknotonlyasconnections,butasvaluableopenspace"snippets"themselves.
4 PlanningDepartment, CityandCountyofSan Francisco