VOLUME I
MAKERS ON MARKET LESSONS FROM SAN FRANCISCO’S MARKET STREET PROTOTYPING FESTIVAL
Prepared by:
Market Street Prototyping Festival Team
Evaluation Team
San Francisco Planning Department
www.gehlstudio.com
Neil Hrushowy - Manager, City Design Group Kay Cheng - Urban Designer and Planner Robin Abad - Urban Designer and Planner Alison Ecker - Intern Tina Chang - Planner
Blaine Merker - Principal in Charge Mayra Madriz - Project Manager Anna Muessig - Project Manager Kasey Klimes - Urban Data Specialist Alex DeCicco - Designer Celsa Dockstader - Designer
www.sf-planning.org
Gehl
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts www.ybca.org
Deborah Cullinan - Executive Director Sandie Arnold - Director of Institutional Giving and Strategic Initiatives Kristy Hilands - Strategic Projects Lead
This study was funded with support from:
Public Life Evaluation Corps Robin Abad Justin Ackerman Ann Marie Aviles Iman Bright, Indu Chakravarthy Liene Cikanovica Christie Coffin Jessica DeGeorge Paul Dillingham Jeff Dlouhy John Ferrigan Julie Flynn Wendy Fong
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Kimberly Garza Julia Grinkrug Anne Hake Debra Halligan E.J. Harkness Micah Hilt Cindy Jian Chelsea Johnson Reese Kolar Maria Langbauer Effie Lin Nate Mahoney Deanna O’Connor
Special Thanks Eric Pan Komal Panjwani Michelle Peckham Steve Pepple Preethi Raju Cygridh Rooney Meagan Sharif Luda Shashua Chacha Sikes Daniel Stanush Gene Stroman Chelsea Tan Laura Tepper
Erica Tinio Leslie Tom Kevin Utschig Judy van Soldt Manon Vergerio Veronica Vorobyova Shane Wasley Joanna Winter Andrea Wong Sally Yee Jerry Zee
Gehl – Makers on Market – Lessons from the Market Street Prototyping Festival
Ghigo DiTommaso Andrea Gaffney Elaine Laguerta Jennifer Martindale Betsy McCall Elise Stieren
CONTENTS What is this document?
Structure
Gehl Studio conducted an evaluation and analysis of the Market Street Prototyping Festival to connect the Festival’s process and outcomes with the urban design goals of the Better Market Street Project, and festival funders’ goal of promoting diverse, integrated public spaces that support civic life.
PART I Introduction
PART II Festival Evaluation
PART III Evaluation of prototypes
PART IV Next steps
Festival background
This research, and the recommendations that derive from it, are summarized on two documents: 1. This document: Makers on Market summarizes key findings and insights from the Festival, identifies prototypes with potential of influencing the design of Market Street, and outlines a framework for using prototyping events as a way to engage members of the public in finding solutions to public challenges. 2. The second document: Prototype for Change establishes criteria for scaling evaluation methods to other projects and provides an evaluation protocol for public space pilot projects in San Francisco and beyond.
1.
2.
Evaluates the impact of the Festival through the lens of five themes: 1. Street for People 2. Engaged Communities 3. Shared Civic Spaces 4. Opportunity and Access 5. Building Capacity
Identifies the prototypes with the most potential of impacting the future design of Market Street
Outlines a process for applying prototyping as an engagement and testing tool to other urban challenges
MARKET STREET
TYPICAL DAY
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Gehl – Makers on Market – Lessons from the Market Street Prototyping Festival
MARKET STREET
PROTOTYPING FESTIVAL
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6
Gehl – Makers on Market – Lessons from the Market Street Prototyping Festival
PART I
INTRODUCTION Goals of the Market Street Prototyping Festival. Evaluation themes and methods.
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WHAT IS THE MARKET STREET PROTOYPING FESTIVAL? Market Street Prototyping Festival (MSPF), which took place between April 9-11, 2015, connected designers, artists and makers with the diverse neighborhoods along Market Street and encouraged them to develop and test ideas to enliven the sidewalks. The Festival built upon the design process for Better Market Street, a five year effort to redesign Market Street into a lively and attractive destination with vibrant public life. Better Market Street will transform Market Street by creating memorable and active gathering spaces, the ability to promenade, and a vibrant public life. Better Market Street introduced the Street Life Zone, a multi-use area located within the existing sidewalk that will invite diverse public life, “lingering” activiteies and enhance Market Street’s identity through design, materials and furnishing elements for the entire length of the street. The Market Street Prototyping Festival was the result of a collaboration between the San Francisco Planning Department and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, with funding provided by the Knight Foundation and other funders. These partners wanted to prototype the idea of the Street Life Zone, transform the public’s relationship to public design by bringing the community engagement process to the street, and to invest in civic innovators in the public realm. The foundation for these goals is a belief that civic innovators help cities attract and keep talented people, expand economic opportunity and create a culture of engagement, and that thoughtfully designed and programmed places create a public realm where a diverse citizenry can come together. The goals of MSPF: COMMUNITY Design with and for community. Ask the community to reimagine and activate the Street Life Zone, make public space more active, vibrant and engaging.
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CAPACITY Increase designers’ capacity by connecting selected project teams to resources and a professional network. Generate institutional knowledge on community engagement through the partnership between the government and cultural institutions involved in the process.
Gehl – Makers on Market – Lessons from the Market Street Prototyping Festival
CONNECTION Select projects that encourage people to linger, socialize and spend time. Reflect the identity of the districts and create a unique San Francisco experience.
WHY PROTOTYPING?
prototyping
[proh-tuh-tahyping] to create, test and try an experimental model of a new idea or object.
Prototyping public space is a way of involving a range of stakeholders in generating many potential solutions to a physical design challenge in a temporary sitting. When done using an inclusive process, it involves the public in a direct and tangible manner into the physical planning process. Prototyping potential solutions to a design challenge can show the public the many potential ways that a public space can be transformed, and lets them experience those possibilities in real life. Good reasons to prototype:
Shorten the distance between citizen and decision-maker, thereby creating more productive and meaningful form of citizen engagement
Shorten the distance between idea and implementation
Com
... ... ... ...
Us e
ity Need un m
Inte
r v e n ti o n
25% Public Realm 75% Buildings
Unlock the potential of civic assets of people and place
Envision the unimaginable
Create a feedback loop between – community need, intervention, and use
INTRODUCTION
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Gehl – Makers on Market – Lessons from the Market Street Prototyping Festival
PART II
FESTIVAL EVALUATION We evaluated the Festival according to five themes that touch on the ways the Festival can impact Market Street and the people who use it, looking at the event both as a one-time festival, and as an idea-generation tool for the future re-built Market Street 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
A Street for People Engaged Communities Shared Civic Spaces Opportunity and Access Building Capacity
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EVALUATION THEMES This evaluation is organized around five themes. These themes were crafted by Gehl Studio as a synthesis of the overlapping goals of the institutions that came together to produce the Festival. Below are the questions we used to structure our evaluation.
A STREET FOR PEOPLE
ENGAGED COMMUNITIES
SHARED CIVIC SPACES
How successful was MSPF in creating more invitations for lingering and walking? Did MSPF improve the perception of Market Street for a diversity of users?
Were communities engaged in MSPF process? How did MSPF event itself reflect the wishes of the neighborhoods it passes through? Which prototypes engaged the public the most?
How successful was MSPF in inviting diverse audiences in terms of age, gender, neighborhood, income, and racial identification? Did it present opportunities for mixing between people of different backgrounds?
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OPPORTUNITY & ACCESS
BUILDING CAPACITY
How successful was MSPF in bringing new resources and services to the street that expand cultural and economic opportunity and access?
How successful was MSPF in build social capital and skills in its participants and organizers? Did MSPF improve residents’ ability to articulate their aspirations for the public realm?
Gehl – Makers on Market – Lessons from the Market Street Prototyping Festival
EVALUATION METHODS To complete this evaluation, Gehl Studio gathered information about the Festival through a range of methods Analysis of festival attendance records: Sign-in forms and other materials provided by festival organizers. ENGAGEMENT RECORDS
Analyzing metadata of social media posts from Market Street during and after the Festival. SOCIAL MEDIA ANALYSIS
OBSERVATIONAL ANALYSIS
Gehl Studio trained and mobilized over 50 volunteers to conduct in-person counts of pedestrians and people spending time on Market Street. These surveys were performed at five locations along Market Street on two festival days and two baseline days after the event had ended*.
Volunteers conducted over 300 intercept surveys with people attending the Festival and people on Market Street the week after.
Online surveys of designers and artists who participated in the Festival. ONLINE SURVEYS
PROTOTYPE EVALUATION
Gehl developed and applied a standardized tool to evaluate each of the prototypes against a fixed criteria.
INTERCEPT SURVEYS
PHOTO SURVEYS
The team documented each of the 50 prototypes at different times of the day, each day of the Festival.
IN-DEPTH INTERVIEWS
Interviews were conducted with festival leadership and staff at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and the San Francisco Planning Department. *Baseline: April 16-18, 2015 MSPF: April 9-11, 2015
FESTIVAL EVALUATION 13
A STREET FOR PEOPLE The Market Street Prototyping Festival demonstrated what a Market Street for people might look like. During the Festival, the street became a destination unto itself, offering a wide range of activities and experiences that encouraged people to stay outside and enjoy the public realm.
OUTPOST The Outpost demonstrated how a considerate marriage of a simple, flexible structure and vibrant programming can transform the sidewalk from a corridor into a destination. The Outpost served the Central Market district, home to one of San Francisco’s densest neighborhoods, and with some of the least access to open space. With a simple modular structure, potted plants, and a patch of turf, the Outpost provided physical and programmatic bones to make the small stretch of sidewalk a community living room. 72 hours of diverse programming included wildlife tours, planting workshops, film screenings, and bike repairs. Block: Central Market Team: Studio for Urban Projects
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A STREET FOR PEOPLE As San Francisco’s ‘Main Street’, Market Street should be more than a transit spine, it should be a destination unto itself. There are certain places, identified through the Better Market Street planning process, that are particularly suited for hosting a vibrant street life. What if Market Street was the city’s most vibrant place, where people chose to stop and spend time?
INST
Spending time, enjoying the street
MSPF provided an opportunity to prototype this vibrant street. During the Festival, the character of Market Street changed drastically, with as many as 700% more people choosing to spend time on the street, or “linger.” Lingering activities included standing, sitting, or more active types of staying activities such as playing, buying things on the street, or making or appreciating art.
Much of this increased lingering activity was due to cultural programming: live music, interactive installations, performances, lectures, etc. The teams behind the prototypes served as cultural ambassadors, inviting passers by to stop and enjoy their street.
USERS & PHOTOS INSTAGRAM POSTS INCREASED
38%
The intercept surveys revealed that people, across a range of age levels and backgrounds, were more likely to have a positive impression of their block during the Festival, compared to a baseline. This observation was also corroborated with social media activity. While Market Street is already a popular destination for visitors and locals, people were much more likely to post photos on Instagram during the Festival, than during the baseline.
BY DURING THE FESTIVAL Instagram Activity Along Market Street (% increase) 447 (+38%)
382 (+27%)
Photos Posted 323 Instagram Users 300 Baseline April 16 -18
MSPF April 9 - 11
Instagram Activity Along Market Street (% increase)
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Photo: Mommin_around via Instagram
Gehl – Makers on Market – Lessons from the Market Street Prototyping Festival
+84% +61%
+36% +27% +12% Civic Center
Central Market
Retail Heart
Financial District
Embarcadero
Pedestrains Per Hour (% Change: MSPF / Baseline)
LINGERING ACTIVITIES INCREASED AS MUCH AS
+253%
STAYING ACTIVITY CENTRAL MARKET 4:00PM
700%
+213%
200
DURING THE FESTIVAL
172
150
+155%
A STREET FOR PEOPLE
+84%
Does the Prototyping Festival improve your experience of Market Street? 100
STATIONARY Measured Types of
+27%
Lingering Activities:
Does the Prototyping Festival improve your experience of Market Street?
Standing Standing Waiting for Transport Bench Seating +49% Cafe Seating Secondary Seating Sitting Folding/Moveable Chairs Lying Down Children Playing Commercial Activity Active Cultural Activity +4% Physical Activity
Civic Center
Central Market
Retail Heart
7% Don’t Know
3% No
4% Don’t Know
50
90% Yes
21
0
Financial Embarcadero District
Baseline
3% 1% 1%
77
+213%
Stationary Activities (Average by Hour)
116
112 99
3%
93% Yes
+155%
107
6%
Pedestrains Per Ho
3% No
MSPF
Lingering Activity at CentralActivities Market, Weekend, Stationary (Average by Hour)4:00PM 118
Central Market
+253%
onary Activities (% Change: MSPF/Baseline) 3%
Civic Center
Would you want future Market Street to have permanent installations like these?
1% 97
FESTIVAL EVALUATION 17
17%
1%
LINGERING ACTIVITY INCREASED ON AVERAGE BY AND
176%
55%
ON WEEKDAYS
ON WEEKENDS DURING MSPF
Lingering Activities
Lingering Activities were measured each hour. Counts for each hour across all districts were averaged by weekday and weekend to produce the average number of people spending time in each district at any given moment by day of week.
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MSPF 460
MSPF 558
BASELINE 296
BASELINE 202
WEEKDAY
WEEKEND
Gehl – Makers on Market – Lessons from the Market Street Prototyping Festival
30%
OVER MORE PEOPLE WALKED ALONG MARKET STREET DURING THE FESTIVAL ON AVERAGE
1586
Pedestrians Per Hour
MSPF
Weekend average each hour for all districts
+ 48%
BASELINE
1075
11AM
12PM
1PM
MSPF boosted streetlife - at the times when the street needed it most By all accounts, public life flourished along Market Street during MSPF. Pedestrian activity increased by over 30% on average during weekdays and weekends, while lingering activity increased by over 55% on weekdays and over 175% on weekends.
2PM
3PM
4PM
5PM
Market Street on the weekends. During MSPF, weekend lingering activity instead increased by 89% over baseline weekday activity. Pedestrian volumes generally drop in the afternoon hours. During MSPF however, pedestrian activity instead began to intensify between noon and 2:00pm, then maintained consistently higher than baseline days into the evening. MSPF indicates that invitations for public life could invigorate Market Street precisely at the times when it otherwise begins to feel empty.
The most dramatic increases in public life occurred at the times when activity tends to drop off. Lingering activity usually falls by over 30% along
FESTIVAL EVALUATION 19
AREAS WITH THE LARGEST INCREASES IN LINGERING ACTIVITY ALSO EXPERIENCED THE GREATEST IMPROVEMENTS IN POSITIVE PERCEPTION AMONG SURVEY RESPONDENTS.
CENTRAL MARKET HAD THE LARGEST INCREASE IN LINGERING ACTIVITY AND POSITIVE BLOCK PERCEPTION DURING MSPF
CIVIC CENTER
Lingering Activities
150
Lingering Activities, defined by sitting, standing, and more active staying activities like playing, were measured each hour. Hourly weekend and weekday counts were averaged for each district to produce the numbers to the right.
100
Positive Block Perception
100%
Surveys were distributed to pedestrians on Market Street. These surveys included a question about how positively people perceived the block they were on. The percentage of people who responded “Strongly Positive” or “Somewhat Positive / Pleasant” is shown at right.
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CENTRAL MARKET
RETAIL HEART
FINANCIAL
EMBARCADERO
148
+ 252%
50 0
75% 50% 25%
42
68%
+ 26% 42%
0%
Gehl – Makers on Market – Lessons from the Market Street Prototyping Festival
MSPF Baseline
THE LARGEST RELATIVE INCREASE IN PEDESTRIAN ACTIVITY WAS AT CENTRAL MARKET DURING THE WORK WEEK, WHILE THE LARGEST ABSOLUTE INCREASE WAS IN THE RETAIL HEART ON THE WEEKEND +1029 2500
Pedestrians By District
Daily hourly averages
MSPF Baseline
2000
+ 86%
1500 1000 500 0
weekday weekend CIVIC CENTER
CENTRAL MARKET
Some blocks benefited more than others Market Street runs through the heart of several neighborhoods. Some of these neighborhoods experience higher levels of activity than others during non-festival times. Areas with lots of people tend to feel exciting and interesting, while those with few tend to feel deserted and uninviting. MSPF was most successful at inviting people to the places that are normally the lowest in activity. Central Market, which generally
RETAIL HEART
FINANCIAL
EMBARCADERO
experiences low levels of lingering activity compared to other areas along Market Street, became a magnet for people during MSPF–so much so that it invited more people to stay than any other district. More public life in Central Market is likely why this area also experienced the largest improvement in public perception among survey respondents. This change indicates the potential of programming not only to create a sense of vibrancy, but to fundamentally alter the social dynamics and identity of a neighborhood.
FESTIVAL EVALUATION 21
ALLOW FOR A MIX OF SOCIAL AND SOLO ACTIVITIES
MARKET STREET AS A DESTINATION The prototypes tested a range of invitations for ‘lingering activities’ on Market Street. With a diversity of arrangements in relation to the street and sidewalk, these installations showcased a range of seating options that hosted group activities, privacy, interactive engagement, enclosure, exercise and play. Here are some of the design principles that proved successful. They can be used as success criteria that inform the design brief for future furnishings on Market Street.
OFFER FLEXIBLE SEATING IN AREAS WITH PROTECTION FROM THE SUN AND ELEMENTS
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OFFER SEATING IN LOCATIONS THAT PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE WATCHING
Gehl – Makers on Market – Lessons from the Market Street Prototyping Festival
PROVIDE AMENITIES FOR PEOPLE OF A RANGE OF AGES AND SKILL LEVELS
OFFER TEMPORARY ACTIVITIES TO INCREASE THE FEELING OF NOVELTY AND VARIETY
ALLOW FOR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, PLAY, INTERACTION AND ENTERTAINMENT
ARRANGE PUBLIC SEATING IN A POSITION THAT IS CONDUCIVE FOR CONVERSATION
FESTIVAL EVALUATION 23
1
A Street for People
INSIGHTS
The Festival succeeded in expanding invitations for spending time and walking along Market Street. The street was successfully transformed into a more comfortable, welcoming, protected, and delightful space which caused more people to spend time on the street - and supplemented streetlife in the afternoons and weekends, exactly when it drops off normally.
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The street has the capacity for this enhanced program, and it’s better for it. Although much of the public right of way was occupied by the prototypes themselves, there was still room for people to stay and linger, as well as move through. In fact, this compression in some places created a feeling of urban coziness, closeness, and comfort among strangers.
Gehl – Makers on Market – Lessons from the Market Street Prototyping Festival
Public programs can be on the street. Concerts, classes, dance, karaoke, spoken word—the prototypes with performative elements—were some of the biggest draws on the street, contributing greatly to the overall high pedestrian numbers during the Festival. These prototypes weren’t just outliers, but rather showed that performance can live on the street! Ambassadors, in the form of performers or teachers with the right community partner and curation, can drive a vibrant public life every day, not just on festival days.
But, there could still be more variety in the type of programming on the street. Although the number of people on the street increased dramatically, the types of activities they were engaging in did not. Most people choosing to spend time on Market Street were standing. In the Retail Heart, there were even fewer people sitting than standing during the Festival, because of the ‘gather round’ performative nature of some of the prototypes there. Is this type of activation sustainable for the longterm programming of Market Street? How can the street design maintain the energy of higher rates of pedestrians, while inviting for a broader diversity of ways to spend time?
FESTIVAL EVALUATION 25
ENGAGED COMMUNITIES MSPF provided an opportunity for people to experience what a vibrant future for Market Street could be. For a year leading up to the event, Festival organizers engaged a wide range of community of stakeholders. The festival created an opportunity for residents to express, build and inhabit the city that they would like to see, generating social capital through encounters with neighbors, and a shared vocabulary about what they would like to see in their community. For many artists and designers it was their first exposure to working collaboratively with a government agency. These opportunities to collaborate with others on a creative project expanded designers’ access to skills and resources that can be used in future projects.
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Gehl – Makers on Market – Lessons from the Market Street Prototyping Festival
SHOW BOX Show Box was deceptively simple - stadium seating composed of stacked wooden cylinders overlooking a generous brick bulb-out. It provided plug-andplay infrastructure including lighting, A/V hookups, a roll-out dance floor, and an informational marquee. The crowds often maxed out the seating, thanks to programming by CounterPulse, a community arts group. Performances drew audiences not only from those seated on the structure, but also passers by across the street and from diners in adjacent bars and restaurants. CounterPulse’s programming of socially relevant, homegrown talent was key to Show Box’s success. By providing the sidewalk infrastructure for community artists to share their talent with their neighbors, Show Box provided a model for street design which engages and empowers the community. Block: Central Market Team: Jensen Architects and CounterPulse 27
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ENGAGED COMMUNITIES What better way to engage residents in the future of their civic spaces than asking them to propose, design and experience a vibrant street on a one-to-one scale? MSPF prototyped numerous ways transform the public’s relationship to public design.
Year-long outreach The engagement process that lead to the Festival convened a range of local stakeholders. The process included the creation of a Community Cohort for each district, charged with helping identify community priorities and conducting outreach. The Community Cohort was formed by representatives of the local Community Benefit Districts, Business Improvement Districts, non-profits and other stakeholders. The outreach campaign for the Festival included public meetings, open house events, on the street engagement and a social media campaign.
Photo: @MarketStreetPF via Instagram
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MSPF Engagement Day
Gehl – Makers on Market – Lessons from the Market Street Prototyping Festival
Engagement through social media Festival organizers made use of social media and a wide range of digital participation tools to increase awareness of the Festival, and to gather feedback on the proposed designs before, during and after the Festival. A wide array of social media platforms were used to engage the public including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Festival organizers also used engagement platforms Neighborland and OpenPlans to collect specific feedback on prototype designs in development. During the Festival, organizers encouraged the use of hashtags for attendees to provide feedback on individual prototypes.
15,000 PARTICIPANTS PROVIDED DESIGN FEEDBACK ON NEIGHBORLAND
A platform for public design The Festival created a platform for anyone to develop and test ideas for the future of Market Street. MSPF put citizens at the heart of the design process, empowering them to bring their vision for the future of Market Street into reality, and allowing those who walk on the streets to experience and participate in that vision.
Meeting people where they are The Festival prototyped a novel form of community engagement, encouraging discussion of the future of Market Street by testing a wide range of ideas at life-size on the streets themselves. A survey of people who were actively engaged with the prototypes revealed that 73% of respondents had run into the Festival by chance. This means that in this sample the majority of people did not intend to participate in the Festival, but instead ran into it while going about their daily life. By inviting a new group of people to participate in the public design process by putting ideas on the streets themselves, MSPF engaged people as they went about their lives.
73% OF PEOPLE SURVEYED RAN INTO THE FESTIVAL BY CHANCE
“ONE BIG CHALLENGE WAS GETTING THE WORD OUT TO OUR DIVERSE COMMUNITIES. EVEN WITH OUR NEW PARTNERSHIPS THERE WAS LIMITED STAFF CAPACITY TO DO ALL WE NEEDED TO DO. SO WHILE WE WERE ABLE TO DO A LOT OF ANALOG OUTREACH, WE WOULD HAVE WANTED TO DO MORE.” -Sandie Arnold, Director of Institutional Giving and Strategic Initiatives, YBCA
FESTIVAL EVALUATION 29
MSPF ENGAGEMENT TIMELINE
PRODUCERS
SF PLANNING
MSPF on Facebook
Community Idea Lab
July 23, 2014
August 15. 2014
MSPF Launch & Call for Submissions
Open House
May 27, 2014
August 11, 2014
Better Market Street Going Through Environmental Review
Better Market Street
Street Life Zone
YBCA
MSPF Vision Creation
Event Production Community Conversations
Design Brief
CORE PARTICIPANTS
COMMUNITY COHORT
DISTRICT DESIGN CAPTAINS
200 submissions!
PROTOTYPE DESIGNERS Submit Proposals
VOLUNTEERS
AUDIENCE
1,132 people liked MSPF on Facebook
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GENERAL PUBLIC Including residents, businesses, visitors
Gehl – Makers on Market – Lessons from the Market Street Prototyping Festival
Social Media
#whatismarketstreet October 4, 2014
MSPF on Neighborland
Community-led Tour of Market St
Design Charette
October 31, 2014
November 7, 2014
January 21, 2015
District Community Selections Announced Conversations October 29, 2014
September 22-24
Engagement Day 1
Engagement Day 2
MSPF FESTIVAL
November 3, 2014
January 19, 2015
April 9 - 11, 2015
Evaluate Event Lessons & Insight
Better Market Street Implementation
Provide Feedback
Support Designers
Refine Designs
1,872 people used the #MSPF hashtag on Instagram
Support Logistics
Install & Show Designs
Support Logistics
Attend Festival & Vote For Prototypes
Better Market Street Engagement
FESTIVAL EVALUATION 31
DIFFERENT WAYS TO MEASURE ENGAGEMENT MSPF organizers encouraged people to provide feedback on their favorite prototype using social media. Gehl’s evaluation team on the ground counted the number of people who stopped at each prototype at different times during the day. We learned that social media presence was not always correlated with the activity on the ground. To evaluate the success of the prototypes it is important to observe how people interact with them on the ground.
“A NUMBER OF TENDERLOIN RESIDENTS VISITED OUR PROJECT, INCLUDING SEVERAL WHO CAME BACK EVERY DAY AND WANTED A PERMANENT INSTALLATION. UNFORTUNATELY, MANY OF THEM ARE UNABLE TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK VIA THE VARIOUS CHANNELS OFFERED, NAMELY THE INTERNET AND HASHTAGS.” -Threshold CityLabs, Prototype Designers
Photo: @MarketStreetPF via Instagram
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Gehl – Makers on Market – Lessons from the Market Street Prototyping Festival
The Sound of Emotion
Retail Heart
ONLINE V. ON THE GROUND ONLINE
(Social Media Votes)
Walk Market St Meet Wall Smaller & Upsidedown Exchange Portals Commond Ground Adaptive Playscape Neuroflowers Active Rest Room for ThoughtArena Play Relax Mobile Selfie Booth ChimeSF Rainbow Prismatic Experience Musical Pedals Unsilence the Newsbin Zen Door Knock Stop Music Tree of Changes Outpost The Cephalopod Tenderloin Extertrail
Embarcadero
Central Market
Showbox Financial District Ping Pong CCA in the City Pee Planter
MSPF attendees were encouraged Street SketchUnderstory Data Lanterns Market Scene to provide feedback on their Peak Timber ValleyExperience ProtoHouse favorite prototypes by tweeting or Peep Show Shimmering StarsTag Tunnel instagramming dedicated hashtags. Bench−Go−Round It's News to Me The size of the circle on the chart to Civic Center Mineral Neighborhood Preparedness Unit Benches the right indicates the total number Play Every DayDaily Boost of hashtag votes for each prototype. The Sound 3 For Lifeof Emotion Guerilla Street Museum The bigger the circle, the more Retail Heart Tree Sitting online votes the prototype received. Walk Ember Market St Ghost Arroyos Meet Wall & Upsidedown Living RoofsSmaller at Your Feet Exchange Portals Bookmark Adaptive Emoti Bricks Playscape Fog PlaneActive Rest Room for Thought Mobile Selfie Booth Rainbow Prismatic Experience Unsilence the Newsbin
200 100 50
ONLINE
Twitter + Instagram Votes
ON THE GROUND
(Lingering Activity) People also voted their preference with their feet. Each circle’s position to the left or right indicates peak activity at each prototype from observations at 11am, 2pm, and 5pm on April 9th, 2015 during MSPF. 200 The farther to the right, the more attention this prototype 100 received on the ground. 50
ONLINE
Twitter + Instagram Votes
SHOWBOX ATTRACTED
0 Central Market
5
10
15
THE LARGEST GROUPS
20
25 BUT30 HAD AVERAGE TWEETS
ON THE GROUND
Outpost Tenderloin Extertrail Showbox Ping Pong Pee Planter Street Sketch Market Scene Timber Valley Peep Show Shimmering Stars
Peak Observed Lingering Activity (number of people visiting)
PEEPSHOW ATTRACTED THE MOST SOCIAL MEDIA VOTES, BUT HAD
Civic Center
AVERAGE FOOT COUNT
Neighborhood Preparedness Unit Play Every Day 3 For Life Guerilla Street Museum Tree Sitting Ember Ghost Arroyos Living Roofs at Your Feet Bookmark Emoti Bricks Fog Plane
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
ON THE GROUND
Peak Observed Lingering Activity (number of people visiting)
FESTIVAL EVALUATION 33
INVITATION TO SPEAK OUT
A STAGE WITH AUDIENCE SEATING
What if the street were a stage, an amphitheater, a black box theater, or a soap box? Many of the prototypes tested different modes of expression - from big to small, theatrical to one-on-one. The success of these prototypes illustrates how that the street can be used to speak out in a way that does not disrupt its use as a transportation corridor.
A COMMUNITY WISHING WALL
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INTERACTIVE DIGITAL EXPERIENCES
Gehl – Makers on Market – Lessons from the Market Street Prototyping Festival
SPACES FOR DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOODS TO HOWCASE WHO THEY ARE ON MARKET STREET A PLATFORM FOR INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS TO PERFORM
AN OUTDOOR CLASSROOM FOR LEARNING ABOUT NATURE
SOCIAL MEDIA CONNECTED TO THE STREET
FESTIVAL EVALUATION 35
2
Engaged Communities
INSIGHTS
MSPF brought the community meeting to the street! By putting design options in front of people, instead of the other way around, MSPF reached new audiences, provoked new reactions, and changed the tone of the community engagement process from formality to fun.
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Gehl – Makers on Market – Lessons from the Market Street Prototyping Festival
But, the feedback loop between prototype, public visitor, and Festival organizer was not sufficiently robust. Although engagement numbers were through the roof, the quality of that engagement could be further improved. What exactly did we learn about what types of prototypes were most impactful other than who hashtagged them and who stood around them? How could those without access to mobile social media participate better next time?
The Community Cohort could have been given more leverage. Although the community engagement was robust, the Community Cohort was comprised primarily of business associations, with limited representation from resident and nonprofit institutions.
FESTIVAL EVALUATION 37
SHARED CIVIC SPACES Market Street is the symbolic heart of the city. It is a civic space where people from all ages and backgrounds can come together meet eye to eye. Many of the prototypes generated opportunities for meaningful and playful interactions between strangers, fostering a sense of community among the diverse people of San Francisco.
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Gehl – Makers on Market – Lessons from the Market Street Prototyping Festival
PHOTO COURTESY OF CLOUD ARCH STUDIO cloudarchstudio.wordpress.com/projects/common-ground
COMMON GROUND An interactive game combined seating, plants, and water to appeal to people of all ages and backgrounds. Users were encouraged to interact and coordinate their movements to activate water features. The game rewarded participation and cooperation with a surprising, contagious experience by users literally sharing common ground. Common Ground provided a physical and conceptual model for encouraging inclusivity, cooperation and shared experience. Block: Embarcadero Team: Cloud Arch Studio 39
SHARED CIVIC SPACES
3
Civic spaces that appeal to a broad spectrum of people from a range of backgrounds and circumstances are a sign of an inclusive city. As one of San Francisco’s major civic spaces, a primary function of Market Street is to bring people together. Many prototypes explicitly addressed this issue and sought to bring people together through play and culture, sparking positive interactions between strangers.
Many of those attending had a chance to interact with new people. Sixty five percent of survey respondents reported interacting with someone new at MSPF. We also found that MSPF attracted people from a broader range of ages compared to the baseline.
ESTIMATED HOME LOCA ESTIMATED HOME LOC ESTIMATED HOME LOC MSPF reached locals
MSPF attracted social media attention from people who live further from San Francisco than those who post photos from Market Street at other times. The study suggests that more residents may have visited Market Street from Oakland and San Jose during the MSPF.
Neighborhood representation
Estimated home locations of Instagram users who posted photos at MSPF. Areas with residents that posted photos during the festival, but not on the baseline weekend, came from San Jose, areas of Oakland, Berkeley, and other cities in the East Bay.
PF only
Baseline Both
MSPF only MSPF only MSPF only MSPF only Baseline Baseline Baseline Baseline Both Both Both Both
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Gehl – Makers on Market –
MSPF April 19 - 11 MSPF MSPF Lessons from the Market Street PrototypingApril Festival19 - 11 MSPF April 19 - 11
MSPF MADE CHILDREN VISIBLE ON MARKET STREET
New invitations for the young and old Gehl measured the age of people moving through space because making cities accessible to younger and older people - the most vulnerable members of our population - means that the public realm is accessible and safe for all. The Market Street Prototyping Festival increased the presence of both groups significantly. Compared to the baseline, the number of seniors increased by an average of 25% during the Festival while the number of people under the age of 14 increased by an average of 40%. The Central INCREASE IN NUMBER OF ELDERLY DURING MSPF Market district was especially inviting to children, while the Embarcadero and older district had the lowest increase in seniors. This could be because65the INCREASE IN NUMBER OF ELDERLY DURING MSPF Embarcadero is already quite popular with an older set, while Central Market is not normally a kid-friendly block and the intervention of kid65 and older friendly invitations made a big difference. 35% 34% 34%
LE TOGETHER
LE TOGETHER 50 40 50 30 40 20
20%
34%
35%
34% 14%
30 10
LE TOGETHER PLE TOGETHER 20 0 10
Civic Center
20%
Central Market
Retail Heart
14%
Financial District Embarcadero
WHAT BRINGS YOU TO MARKET STREET TODAY? CAME FOR MSPF CAME FOR OTHER REASON WHAT BRINGS YOU TO MARKET STREET TODAY? White 45% Asian
CAME FOR MSPF 30%
White Hispanic
45% 21%
Asian Black
30% 11%
Hispanic
21%
Black
11%
CAME FOR OTHER REASON
n = 132
n = 132
INCREASE IN NUMBER OF ELDERLY DURING MSPF IN NUMBER OF Heart CHILDREN DURING MSPF Civic Center INCREASE Central Market Retail Financial District INCREASE IN NUMBER OF ELDERLY DURING MSPFEmbarcadero 65 and older 7 to 14 Increase in Number of Seniors During MSPF 65 and older 50 INCREASE IN NUMBER OF CHILDREN DURING MSPF 0 to 7 50
0
40 50 40 30 40 30
34% 34%
30 0 10 0 20 0
43%
35% 43% 35%
38%
34% 44% 34% 43%
7 to 14 0 to 7
38% 33%
5020 30 20 4010 20 10
50%
50% 20% 20% 43%
38%
35% 44% 43%
43% 38%
33%
Civic Center Civic Center
Central Market Central Market
Retail Heart Retail Heart
27% 14% 14% 35% 27%
Financial District Embarcadero Financial District Embarcadero
Central Market RetailOF Heart Financial District INCREASE IN NUMBER CHILDREN DURING MSPFEmbarcadero INCREASE IN NUMBER OF CHILDREN DURING MSPF Increase in Number of Children During MSPF 7 to 14 0 Civic Center Central Market Retail Heart Financial District Embarcadero 7 to 14 0 to 7 0 to 7
10
Civic Center
50 50 40 40 30 30
38% 38% 33% 33%
43% 43%
50% 50%
43% 43% 38% 38%
44% 43% 44% 43% 27% 27%
35% 35%
WHAT BRINGS YOU TO MARKET STREET TODAY? WHAT BRINGS YOU TO MARKET STREET TODAY? CAME FOR MSPF CAME FOR OTHER REASON CAME FOR MSPF CAME FOR OTHER REASON White 45% DID YOU INTERACT WITH A NEW PERSON ON THIS BLOCK TODAY White 45% Asian 30% 30% Asian YES NO DIDHispanic YOU INTERACT 21% WITH A NEW PERSON ON THIS BLOCK TODAY Black 78% 21% Hispanic Black 11% YES NO White 11% Black71% n = 132 Black 78% n = 132 Asian 50% White Hispanic
71% 21%
Asian
50%
Hispanic
21%
MSPF OFFERED EXPERIENCES n = 132 TO OLDER ADULTS n = 132
DID YOU INTERACT WITH A NEW PERSON ON THIS BLOCK TODAY DID YOU INTERACT WITH A NEW PERSON ON THIS BLOCK TODAY YES YES Black 78% Black 78% White 71%
NO NO
FESTIVAL EVALUATION 41
Interactions among strangers
Race & Income
Inviting public life is only the first step to a better Market Street. A truly great street also encourages conviviality among those who enjoy it. WHAT BRINGS YOU TO TODAY? but MSPF was generally successful at MARKET creating a STREET social environment, interaction was more commonplace for some groups than others. Over 70% of survey CAME respondents identifying as White Black reported having FOR MSPF CAMEorFOR OTHER REASON interacted with a stranger on Market Street during the Festival, compared White to only half of45% Asian respondents and 21% of Hispanic respondents. It is difficult to discern whether this discrepancy is due to linguistic barriers, 30% or a lack of outreach to Asian and Hispanic communities. Asianbarriers, cultural Our study found no discernible relationship between social interaction Hispanic and income, 21% suggesting that differences in income were not a barrier to creating a convivial environment across economic classes. Black 11%
Although a broad mix of people attended the Festival, not all of them were aware of it prior to encountering it. Those who identified as White were four times more likely to come to Market Street for the Festival than those who identified as Black, who were more likely to partake in the Festival because they were walking by. Improvements to inclusively for the Festival can be made among the group of prototype designers themselves, of whom approximately 73% identified as White and only 7% and 3% identified as Hispanic or black, respectively.
n = 132
Did you interact with someone new on Market Street today?
REASE IN NUMBER OF ELDERLY DURING MSPF DID YOU INTERACT WITH A NEW PERSON ON THIS BLOCK TODAY 65 and older YES Black 35%
20%
71%
Asian
50%
Hispanic
21%
WHAT BRINGS YOU TO MARKET STREET TODAY? CAME FOR MSPF
NO
78%
White
What brings you to Market Street today?
34%
14%
White
45%
Asian
30%
Hispanic
21%
Black
11% n = 132
n = 132
ntral Market
People who identified as Asian and Hispanic were much less likely Heart Financial District Embarcadero toRetail interact with strangers during the Festival, but the reasons for this difference are not clear.*
REASE IN NUMBER OF CHILDREN DURING MSPF
CAME FOR OTHER REASON
People who identified as White were more likely than people who identified as Asian, Hispanic, Black to visit Market Street specifically for the Festival, suggesting room for improvement in invitations to minority communities.*
7 to 14 0 to 7 50% 43%
* Our analysis did not comprehensively survey race, ethnicity, or income of MSPF attendees. Correlations between respondent’s stated race/ethnicity and other answers are for those who participated in intercept surveys.
DID YOU INTERACT WITH A NEW PERSON ON THIS BLOCK TODAY
4243%Gehl – Makers Market – Lessons from the Market Street Prototyping Festival 44%on43%
“I BELIEVE IN THE ROLE OF PUBLIC SPACE AS ONE OF THE CRITICAL PIECES OF OUR PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE THAT BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER.” -Neil Hrushowy Manager, City Design Group, Citywide Planning, Planning Department, City and County of San Francisco
LOW-INCOME GROUPS WERE LESS LIKELY TO BE AWARE OF THE FESTIVAL OPPORTUNITY AND ACCESS WHAT BRINGS YOU TO MARKET STREET TODAY? CAME FOR MSPF
CAME FOR OTHER REASON
100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Under $25K
$25K to $49,999
$50K to $74,999
$75K to $99,999
$100K to $124,999
$125K to $149,999
Respondent Annual Household Income
$150K to $249,999
$250K or more
n = 123
FESTIVAL EVALUATION 43
ACTIVITIES BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER
INTERACTIVE FOUNTAINS
Most prototypes were approachable and engaging. The playful atmosphere made it easy for children, families and people to interact with games, play structures, educational workshops and activities. The invitation to experience Market Street as a series of spectacles proved to be engaging and dynamic, with a sense of discovery. Here are some examples of street elements that can foster conviviality and casual encounters among people from a range of backgrounds.
STREET FURNISHINGS THAT CONVEY A SENSE OF PLAYFULNESS AND HUMOR OUTDOOR PERFORMANCE SPACE
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Gehl – Makers on Market – Lessons from the Market Street Prototyping Festival
CREATIVE GROUP SITTING WITH AN ELEMENT OF SURPRISE PLAY TABLES
NOVEL OBJECTS RICH ON CONTENT
OBJECTS THAT MAKE SOUNDS AND MUSIC
FESTIVAL EVALUATION 45
3
Shared Civic Spaces
INSIGHTS
MSPF was successful in making the street a place that welcomed a broader diversity of ages than normal. If a civic space is one that represents the diversity of a community, and where dialogue about the future of this place is forged collectively, MSPF was successful in fostering this civic space, especially with respect to age diversity.
46
The festival made it very easy for people to stumble upon it. Most visitors to the festival happened upon it by chance, meaning it attracted people who didn’t plan their time too strictly to have a spontaneous experience. However, most of the intentional visitors identified as White. If organizers wanted to raise the number of underrepresented groups who attended as intentional visitors, more outreach would be necessary to those groups.
Gehl – Makers on Market – Lessons from the Market Street Prototyping Festival
FESTIVAL EVALUATION 47
OPPORTUNITY & ACCESS Many prototypes tested ideas that brought resources and services to the community.
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Gehl – Makers on Market – Lessons from the Market Street Prototyping Festival
TENDERLOIN EXERTRAIL Access to quality exercise spaces can be costprohibitive for low-income groups. The Tenderloin ExerTrail provided a simple urban fitness trail with a variety of activities that could be used by all fitness levels and ages. Many encouraged team-building and group play. Designed with input from graphic designer and fitness experts, Tenderloin ExerTrail provided an open-access urban gym for people of all ages and income levels. It addressed not only the physical need for accessible exercise space, but also the social need for designing public space that allows people of all economic means to interact. Block: Central Market Team: Cheyenne Purrington 49
OPPORTUNITY & ACCESS
4
One of the goals of the Festival was to encourage designers to create projects that addressed needs and priorities of San Francisco residents. The needs for each district were articulated in the design brief, a document developed in collaboration with the Community Cohort which summarized the top priorities for residents and businesses. Our evaluation of the prototypes revealed that many of the designs met this challenge by exploring concepts that were built around ideas of bringing public services, amenities and resources to the street.
Bringing new services to the street Many prototypes at their essence disrupted the mono-culture of the street by introducing new programs that provided services and amenities. Some examples: –– Understory - Ecological Habitat –– Data Lanterns - Illuminating Urban Systems –– Ping Pong - Play –– PPlanter - Public Facilities –– Tenderloin ExerTrail - Exercise –– Walk Market Street - Culturally Relevant Signage –– Neighborhood Preparedness Unit - Disaster Preparedness –– ProtoHouse - Housing
“ I WISH THERE WERE MORE EFFECTIVE WAY TO COMMUNICATE THE EVENTS WHEN PEOPLE JUST PASSED BY AND HAD NO IDEA OR NO INTENTION TO CHECK THE WEBSITE.”
-Hsuan Yang, Festival Volunteer
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Gehl – Makers on Market – Lessons from the Market Street Prototyping Festival
Legibility and communication Many people who engaged with the Festival were passersby who did not know about the event, but were welcomed to it by volunteers and designers. The Festival was open and public, but not everyone understood its intent or extent. Pedestrians approached volunteers with questions about the event and expressed desire for maps that showed the location of all projects. Some people did not realize the Festival continued along Market Street because of the lack of visual connection between the various districts.
Reviving the civic commons We know that many of our cities are more segregated by income and political affiliation than ever. There are fewer places for people who are different from one another to mix and share in civic life together. Yet public space remains one of these places. If cities care about having diverse members of society coming into to contact with one another on a regular basis, and the effects that mixing may achieve from economic opportunity to greater tolerance, then the design of these public spaces is very important. By centering opportunities to interact with diverse publics on Market Street, the Festival revived the historic center of the city as the region’s civic spine.
MAKING READING MORE ACCESSIBLE BY BRINGING THE LIBRARY TO THE STREET
FESTIVAL EVALUATION 51
A PLACE FOR CALM AND MEDITATION
BRING RESOURCES TO WHERE PEOPLE ARE Many prototypes explored concepts that involved bringing services and amenities to the streets, democratizing access to resources. These examples illustrate some of the amenities that could be offered on Market Street.
A PUBLIC BATHROOM A PLAY AREA FOR CHILDREN
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Gehl – Makers on Market – Lessons from the Market Street Prototyping Festival
AN OUTDOOR GYM A PROTOTYPE FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING
AN OUTDOOR GALLERY FOR NEIGHBORHOOD ARTISTS A STREET LIBRARY
FESTIVAL EVALUATION 53
4
Opportunity and Access
INSIGHTS
54
Gehl – Makers on Market – Lessons from the Market Street Prototyping Festival
Bringing services to the street is a radical democratization of opportunity.
Successful prototypes plugged into neighborhood groups.
Public lavatories, exercise equipment, creative wayfinding, all these prototypes - as well as soliciting feedback on the street itself - brought resources to the street level where everyone had equal access to it. Because the street is a public space with no barriers to entry, bringing services here democratizes their access.
Prototypes that were in partnership with local social service and arts organizations had a stronger impact, both because they were more likely to have ambassadors running programming which drew people in, and because they had the capacity to champion the prototype’s further development on behalf of the neighborhood.
FESTIVAL EVALUATION 55
BUILDING CAPACITY The Market Street Prototyping Festival created a platform for building skills, developing networks, and realizing efficiencies for governments, non-profits and the public to work together in new ways.
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Gehl – Makers on Market – Lessons from the Market Street Prototyping Festival
TAG TUNNEL The Youth Project: Tag Tunnel succeeded in celebrating and showcasing its creators. The teens involved in creating the project identified the missing voice of youth and a lack of destination spots for teens as key problems. Large chalk boards created a gallery tunnel displaying art by youth street artists. The exterior boards allowed anyone to express themselves. Tag Tunnel gave teens a platform for expression and a safe, fun place to hang out on Market Street. By putting the spotlight on the teen designers who created Tag Tunnel, this prototype encouraged all age groups to consider youth in urban space. Block: Financial District Team: Teaching Artists: Jova Vargas, Craig Hollow, Jake Levitas Youth Team: Diana Aleman, Vicky Chong, Milos Comito-Stellar, Megan Duung, Robin Espinoza, Alice Kuang, Chanel Peng, Kseniya Romanenko, Vanessa Thalhuitzo, Violet Vance, Ivy Yu
57
5
BUILDING CAPACITY Building the public’s capacity to engage in design by bringing the community meeting to the street
Building the skills of designers The Festival brought value to designers and design teams who staged their work on Market Street. These designers reported that the experience of public prototyping built upon their experience with the design-build process and that the opportunity to test their ideas with immediate public feedback provided a valuable design platform. MSPF also helped them build relationships with fabricators, fellow designers and others who will increase their capacity to do future work.
A typical community engagement event during the Better Market Street process brought several hundred people together to comment on the vision of the future of Market Street. By contrast, every hour during the Market Street Prototyping Festival, nearly 1,000 people walked through a transformed Civic Center district. The impact of asking members of the general public to engage with visions for the future of their city’s civic spine is significant, enhancing the public’s capacity to articulate their desires for this place, and expanding the reach of the citymaking process beyond the bounds of the community meeting.
However, the names and identities of the designers were often obscured through the process, and a brighter spotlight could be shown on the individuals behind each prototype. Prototype signage only conveyed the name of the project, not the creators, and the Festival website did not provide contact information for the designers. For future events, designers should be offered more opportunity for recognition along with their work.
BUILDING CAPACITY BUILDING CAPACITY
APPLICANT POOL
APPLICANT POOL
APPLICANT POOLPool MSPF Applicant 45%
34%
Non-Designers/Artists
34%
66% 66%
40%
Non-Designers/Artists
35%
Designers/Artists
30%
Designers/Artists
THE LARGEST GROUP OF APPLICANTS WERE PROFESSIONAL DESIGNERS
APPLICANT POOL
45% 40% 35%
38% 38%
30% 25% 25%
23% 23%
20% 20%
11%
15%
11%
Students
Students
Professionals Professionals
89% 89%
58
10% 5% 0%
18% 18%
15% 10% 8%
5%
8% 6%
6% 3%
3% 3%
3%
0% Professional Professional Other Student Designer Other Professor Professional Professional Other Professional Professional Student Designer Professor Student Artist DesignerDesignerArtist ProfessionalProfessional Non-Profit Non-Profit
Gehl – Makers on Market – Lessons from the Market Street Prototyping Festival
Other Student
Developing Institutional Partnerships MSPF created an opportunity to develop new ways for the city to collaborate with institutions and to shorten the distance between the public and the public design process. The Festival was possible due to the success of the partnership between the SF Planning Department and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. Both institutions benefited from the capacities of the other. There are tasks such as contracting experts, fundraising and promoting public events that benefit the experience of a cultural nonprofit like YBCA. On the other hand, there are functions, such as granting permits to stage temporary installations in public space, that fall under the jurisdiction of the city. In the end, the whole was greater than the sum of the parts: in fact, YBCA and City Planning have many common goals, although they come from different institutional backgrounds. Both seek to build meaningful relationships with communities by using creative engagement strategies to build broader consensus in the citymaking process. MSPF allowed them to prototype this working relationship and shared vision.
“THE MARKET STREET PROTOTYPING FESTIVAL COULD ONLY COME ABOUT FROM THE SF PLANNING DEPARTMENT’S RELATIONSHIP WITH YBCA–THEY KNOW HOW TO ENGAGE THE PUBLIC, AND WE WERE ABLE TO BUILD ON THEIR RELATIONSHIPS TO ENSURE MSPF REPRSENTED THE VOICE OF THE COMMUNITY.” -Neil Hrushowy Manager, City Design Group, Citywide Planning, Planning Department, City and County of San Francisco
FESTIVAL EVALUATION 59
BUILDING CAPACITY
DEVELOPING A DESIGN CONCEPT
The makers of the prototypes represented many neighborhoods and facets of the city with their work. Among the creators were advocacy organizations, conservancy groups, musicians and students who invited participants to learn about the diversity of communities around Market Street.
OUTREACH AND FACILITATION
60
PRESENTING IDEAS AND GETTING FEEDBACK
Gehl – Makers on Market – Lessons from the Market Street Prototyping Festival
RESEARCH: IDENTIFYING COMMUNITY NEEDS
FABRICATION: BRINGING DESIGN IDEAS TO REALITY
TEAM BUILDING: WORKING TOGETHER ON THE INSTALLATION AND CLEAN UP WORKING WITH SENSORS AND ELECTRONICS
FESTIVAL EVALUATION 61
5
Building Capacity
INSIGHTS
MSPF built capacity in designers, city agencies, nonprofit institutions, and the public at large. Designers made new connections and gained exposure to propel their future work. City agencies tested new capabilities by collaborating on a large-scale event production that will serve creative planning efforts in the future. Nonprofit institutions built new relationships with policy change-agents. The public at large practiced literacy in expressing their likes and dislikes about changes in the public realm.
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But, capacity can still be built for amateur designers and members of the public wishing to participate in the design portion of the prototyping process. The vast majority of prototyping teams were professional designers. How can more non-designers play a role in idea-generation and execution in the prototyping process?
Gehl – Makers on Market – Lessons from the Market Street Prototyping Festival
And, individual designers could have been better celebrated in the process. Many designers gave hundreds of pro-bono labor hours to see their projects realized on Market Street. How could a future festival recognize the unique talents of these civic innovators?
FESTIVAL EVALUATION 63
64
Gehl – Makers on Market – Lessons from the Market Street Prototyping Festival
PART III
EVALUATION OF PROTOTYPES Gehl developed a method of evaluating each prototype according to a set of criteria unique to the goals of a Better Market Street.
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PROTOTYPE EVALUATION Gehl developed seven evaluation criteria to assess prototypes and use successful examples to inform long term design and programming along Market Street. The criteria considered MSPF as a process as well as a design challenge. The following pages offer case studies in exemplary prototypes for each criterion.
Methodology Gehl staff visited each prototype during the Festival and observed the design, construction, use and programming of installations in action during the middle of the day on Friday and Saturday of the Festival. The prototypes were scored by multiple reviewers, and the scores were averaged. Within each of the following seven categories, weighted subcategories were considered, along with a bonus section for unique characteristics. While our results were concrete and numeric, because of the subjective nature of the scoring we have visualized each prototype’s score as a radar plot rather than quantitative scores. This highlights the relative category performance—or “performance profile”—of each prototype. In order to emphasize the differences between prototypes, each radar plot segment is scaled in size according to the minimum and maximum scores awarded within that evaluation category. The highest scoring prototype in a given category will therefore have a full segment, while the lowest will show no segment. While some prototypes were clearly more successful than the rest, it is difficult in most cases to compare the success of individual prototypes against each other. Rather, each prototype represents a unique profile that could operate in an ecology of different installations.
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CIVIC CENTER
Ghost Arroyos
Ember
CENTRAL MARKET
Outpost Ghost Arroyos Neighborhood Neighborhood Preparedness Unit Preparedness Unit
LivingEmber Roofs at Your Feet
Guerilla Street Museum
Guerilla Street Tree Sitting Museum
Play Everyday
3 For Life Play Everyday
Bookmark
Emoti Bricks Bookmark
Fog Plane
Fog Plane
Walk Market Street Walk Meet Market Wall Street Outpost Exertrail Tenderloin Exertrail Tenderloin
LivingTimber Roofs Valley at Your Feet
Timber Valley Peep Shows
Peep Shows Mobile Selfie Booth
Street Sketch Tree Sitting
Street Scene Sketch Market
Market Scene& Smaller Upsidedown
Planter 3 ForPLife
EmotiPing Bricks Pong
Gehl – Makers on Market – Lessons from the Market Street Prototyping Festival
P Planter Showbox
Unsilence Showbox the Newsbin
Shimmering Stars Shimmering ActiveStars Rest Ping Pong
M
Rainbow Prismatic Mobile Selfie Rainbo Experience Ex Booth
SmallerPortals & Exchange Upsidedown
Unsilence Adaptive the Newsbin Playscapes
Room Active for Thought Rest
Exch
A Pla
Room
ProtoHouse
Happiness & Well-Being Policy & Systems
How to Read: Larger wedges indicate a stronger fulfillment of the corresponding criterion
Execution
RETAIL HEART
FINANCIAL DISTRICT
Valley leyLiving Timber Peep Shows Roofs at Your Feet
Peep Shows Timber Valley Mobile Selfie Booth
Street tch TreeMarket Scene SittingSketch
Market Scene & Market Smaller & StreetSmaller Sketch Scene Portals Smaller & Exchange Exchange Exchange It's Portals News to Me It's Portals News to Me Mineral Benches Upsidedown Upsidedown Upsidedown
g
Social Impact
Design Ideation
WalkMeet Market WallLanterns Walk Market Street WallStreetWalkMeet Market Street Meet Wall Outpost Exertrail Tenderloin ExertrailTenderloin Outpost Tenderloin Exertrail Data Lanterns Neighborhood Data Peak Experience Preparedness Unit
r
Mixing Space
P Planter 3 For Showbox Life
Unsilence P Planter Showbox the Newsbin
Unsilence Adaptive Showbox the Newsbin Playscapes
EMBARCADERO
Ground Commond Ground Arena Play Commond Arena Play Peak Experience Data Lanterns Ground PeakCommond Experience
Rainbow Prismatic Peep Shows Rainbow Prismatic The Sound Mobile Selfie Rainbow MobilePrismatic Selfie Daily Boost Daily Boost Experience Experience Experience of Emotion Booth Booth
The Sound The The Sound TreeCephalopod of Changes Tree of Changes Daily Boost of Emotion of Emotion
Relax Mineral It's News Benches to Me
Relax ChimeSF Mineral Benches
Adaptive Unsilence Neuroflowers Neuroflowers Tag Tunnel Tag Tunnel Bench−Go−Round Tag Tunnel Adaptive Bench−Go−Round Bench−Go−Round Zen Door Playscapes the Newsbin Playscapes
Understory Emoti Bricks Stars Shimmering Stars Shimmering Stars Active Rest forUnderstory Thought Room for RestShimmering Room for Thought Room Active Rest Thought Ping Pong Ping Active Pong CCA in the City
ProtoHouse
Longevity
Arena Play
The TreeCephalopod of Changes
The Cephalopod
ChimeSF Relax
ChimeSF
Neuroflowers Zen Door
Zen Door
Understory Stop Music Knock Stop Music Stop Music Knock Pedals Musical Pedals CCA inMusical the CityPedals CCA Knock inMusical the City
ProtoHouse
ProtoHouse
Happiness & Happiness & Well-Being Well-Being Policy & Systems Policy & Systems Policy & Systems Social Impact
Happiness & Well-Being
Mixing Space EVALUATION OF PROTOTYPES 67
Mixing Space Mixing Space Social Impact Social Impact
MIXING SPACE
Ghost Arroyos
1
Outpost
s et yos
Timber Valley
e
eet
ks
day
k
Outpost
Tenderloin Exertrail
Walk Market Street
Meet Wall
Data Lanterns
Peak Experience
Commond Ground
Arena Play
Outpost Outpost
Tenderloin Exertrail
Does the Exertrail prototype encourage life ofPeakthe space? Walk Market Street Meet Wallthe social Tenderloin Commond Ground Play Data Lanterns Experience Ghost Arroyos Arena Neighborhood Arena Play
od Unit
ng
Neighborhood Preparedness Unit
Timber Valley Livingto Roofs • Ember Draws people it at Your Feet • Promotes staying activities • Fosters casual / passive mixing • Fosters active mixing / conviviality
Peep Shows
Mobile Selfie Booth
Rainbow Prismatic Experience
Daily Boost
Preparedness Unit The Sound of Emotion
Tree of Changes
The Cephalopod
Peep Shows
Neighborhood Guerilla Street Preparedness Unit Museum
Wa
The Sound Mobile Selfie Rainbow Prismatic Tree of Changes Daily Boost Living Roofs Timber Valley Ember The Cephalopod Experience of Emotion Booth at Your Feet Walk Market Street Outpost Tenderloin Exertrail Ground Lanterns Portals Peak Experience Street Sketch Market Scene Meet Wall Smaller & DataExchange Tree Sitting It's News toCommond Me Mineral BenchesArena Play Relax Common Ground Relax Upsidedown
Peep Shows
M
ChimeSF
Case Study - Arena Play Street Sketch
Smaller & Exchange Portals Relax It's News to Me Mineral Benches Guerilla Street ChimeSF Street Sketch Market Scene Tree Sitting IDEA WHY IT WORKED Upsidedown Museum Living RoofsPlay Everyday Timber 3Valley Peep ShowsP Planter Mobile Selfie Rainbow Prismatic The Sound Tag Tunnel Tree Bench−Go−Round of Changes The Cephalopod Unsilence Adaptive Daily Boost Showbox For Life Neuroflowers Zen Door rethinks a basic game: ping pong. Arena Play succeeded at inviting life to Market at Your Feet Gensler: JJ Beard, Justin Choy, Laura Denton,Booth Arena Play Experience of Emotion the Newsbin Playscapes
TEAM
Market Scene
Gabriella Folino, Jonathan Gotianse, Sondra Its hexagonal shape, however, creates the Street with the enticing opportunity to play in Law, Julianne Rodriguez, Sarah Szekeresh, opportunity for up to six people to compete at the streets. Not only is ping pong a game with Reuben Verkamp a time. The game experience is enhanced for which most people are already familiar, the P Planter Unsilence Adaptive Showbox Neuroflowers Tag Tunnel Bench−Go−Round Door P Planter Everyday Zenof 3 For Life Build Group: Jonathan Hoopes, Darcie Reynolds players and onlookers alike by integrated LED Playpossibility six-player games made interactionShowbox the Newsbin Playscapes SketchBricks Market ScenePing Pong Smaller & Exchange Portals Understory Tree SittingBookmark StreetEmoti Relax ChimeSF Shimmering Starsresponsive News to Mineral Benchesbetween strangers Activeto Rest Room forMe Thought Musical Pedals Knock Stop Music CCA in theaCity lighting theIt's ball. Seat groupings natural experience. Upsidedown define Arena Play’s edges, allowing pedestrians to enjoy the spectacle and await their own turn Arena Play’s simplicity strengthened its ability at the table. to lower the barriers of social interaction in publicKnock space. Even for those not playing, the Shimmering Stars Understory Stop Music Shimmering Stars Active Rest Room for Thought Ping Pong Musical Bookmark Pedals CCA in the City Emoti Bricks Ping Pong sight of two or more people playing provided a P Planter Unsilence Adaptive Showbox 3 For Life Fog Plane Tag Tunnel Bench−Go−Round ProtoHouse Neuroflowers Zen Door the Newsbin Playscapes spectacle which passersby were delighted to stop and watch. For the more passively engaged, MARKET STREET CAN Happiness to & Arena Play provided seating opportunities Well-Being INVITE PUBLIC LIFE invite further activity As many as 18 people were Policy & Systems ProtoHouse Fog Plane BY DESIGNING FOR observed interacting with Arena Play at a Mixing time, Space Emoti Bricks Understory Knock Stop Music Shimmering Stars Active Rest Room for Thought Ping Pong Musical Pedals CCA in the City among the most Social of all Impact prototypes. PLAYFUL INTERACTIONS Happiness & Well-Being Policy & Systems Social Impact
e
ProtoHouse Design Ideation
Execution Design Ideation
LESSONS FOR MARKET STREET Longevity
Mixing Street Space can and should be a place for Market social activity, and there is perhaps no better Execution way to invite social activity than through play. Market Street should consider design elements Longevity that invite Happiness active and passive interaction – a & Well-Being thing to do and a place to watch – through Policy & Systems opportunities to play in public space. Ping Mixing Space pong, fusball, arcade games, chess, climbing Social Impact walls, slides, swings and many other playful Execution interventions could make Market Street fun. Design Ideation Longevity
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Gehl – Makers on Market – Lessons from the Market Street Prototyping Festival
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HAPPINESS & WELL-BEING Market Streetcomfortable Meet Wall Outpost Tenderloin Exertrail Data Lanterns Peak Experience Does the prototype makeWalkpeople and happy?
Neighborhood Preparedness Unit
• • • •
Commond Ground
Common Ground
Arena PlayPlay Everyday
Play Everyday
Tree Sitting
3 For Life
Creates human scale space & comfort Encourages healthy behavior and activities Makes necessary activities easier or more fun Improves safety
Living Roofs at Your Feet
Timber Valley
Peep Shows
Mobile Selfie Booth
Rainbow Prismatic The Sound Tree of Changes The Cephalopod Daily Boost Bookmark Emoti Bricks Experience of Emotion Walk Market Tenderloin Street Meet Wall Outpost Neighborhood Tenderloin Exertrail Ghost Arroyos Neighborhood Outpost Exertrail Ghost Arroyos Neighborhood Walk Preparedness Unit Preparedness Unit
Preparedness Unit
Walk Ma
Market Street
Case Study - Common Ground Tree Sitting
TEAM
Street Sketch
Market Scene
Smaller & Exchange Portals UpsidedownIDEA Ember
Cloud Arch Studio: Derek Ouyang, Sinan Mihelcic, Tina Vilfan, Rebecca Díaz-Atienza, Victoria Flores, Nicholas Petitmaire 3 For Life
P Planter
Showbox
It's News to Me
Mineral Benches
Relax
ChimeSF
Fog Plane
in sync along the path. No water feature is Living Roofs Timber ValleyLiving Roofs Peep Shows Rainbow Prismatic Mobile Selfie Peep Timber Valley Shows Ember activated unless the pavement Common Ground is three, simple, networked at Your Feet Experience at Your Feetboth the seat andBooth are activated, and if the whole path is activated surfaces - seating, landscape and pavement. then the installation will offer a grand finale The surfaces sense when a person is sitting or feature. walking by.
Unsilence the Newsbin
Adaptive Neuroflowers Tag Tunnel Bench−Go−Round Zen Door Playscapes Guerilla Street Exchange Treecells Sitting StreetSketch TreeMarket StreetSmaller Sketch & Market Scene Portals Sitting Scene These inputs from corresponding of GuerillaStreet Museum Upsidedown MuseumWHY IT WORKED
seating and pavement trigger an unexpected water feature within the landscape. Reactions occur sequentially as more cells are activated Emoti Bricks
Ping Pong
Shimmering Stars
Active Rest
While Common Ground was successful in inviting people to sit and stay, its deceptively mundane appearance made the unexpected Understory Room for Thought Musical Pedals Knock Stop Music CCA in the City reaction of water features even more exciting. P Planter Unsilence Adaptive Showbox Play Everyday 3 For Life P Planter Showbox Play Everyday 3 For Life Common Ground offered elements of surprise Playscapes the Newsbin and delight to the public realm. As users realized that their own actions (in conjunction with friends and strangers) caused the water ProtoHouse features, a playful and social game would begin Bookmark Emoti Bricks Shimmering Room for Thought Ping Bookmark Emoti Bricks Stars Stars Ping Active Pong RestShimmering to Pong unfold. Happiness &
LESSONSWell-Being FOR MARKET STREET Policy & Systems
Market Street should never Mixing Spacefeel dull. Design Social Impact elements that defy people’s expectations in Fog Plane
MARKET STREET CAN OFFER ELEMENTS OF SURPRISE AND DELIGHT TO THE PUBLIC REALM
Fog Plane ways that entertain and delight provide a sense Execution Design Ideation of excitement draw people. Art and music Longevity
in unexpected places like bus stops, playful crosswalk signs, colorfully painted intersections and motion-activated lights, sounds and water in the streetscape could reframe the tone of life on Market Street.
EVALUATION OF PROTOTYPES 69
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POLICY & SYSTEMS
P Planter
Showbox Ember
Unsilence Adaptive the Newsbin Playscapes Living Roofs Timber Valley at Your Feet
Tag Tunnel Peep Shows
Bench−Go−Round
Rainbow Prisma Experience
Mobile Selfie Booth
Does the prototype address larger systems? Bookmark Emoti Bricks urbanPing Shimmering Stars Pong • • • • • •
Meets an unmet need Has potential to be scaled up to multiple installations Synergizes with urban systems Supports / connects urban strategy or policy Creates impactful precedent Fog Plane Addresses sustainability Ghost Arroyos Neighborhood
Guerilla Street Museum
Outpost Tenderloin Exertrail Ghost Arroyos Understory Active RestNeighborhood Room for Thought CCA in the City Walk MaM Neighborhood Understory Preparedness Unit Market Scene Street Sketch Unit Smaller & Exchange Por Tree Sitting Preparedness Upsidedown
Living Roofs at Your Feet P Planter Play Everyday Exertrail 3 For Life Walk Market Street Meet Wall Tenderloin Ember
Outpost
P Planter
Preparedness Unit
TimberProtoHouse Valley Peep Shows
Mobile Bo Showbox Data LanternsUnsilence Peak ExperienceAdaptiveCo Data Lanterns the Newsbin Playscapes
Case Study - Neighborhood Preparedness Unit
Policy & Systems Guerilla Street
Tree Sitting
Street Sketch
Market Scene
Smal
Social Impact This particular unit, “The Communications MuseumWHY IT WORKED Upside Shimmering Stars Rest PongPrismatic Living Roofs Timber Valley Bookmark Peep Shows Emoti Bricks Rainbow Sound Room for Thou Mobile Selfie Ping Ember T Daily Boost ActiveThe Tower” Urban Risk Lab: Miho Mazereeuw, David Moses,at Your The Neighborhood Feet integrates a broadcasting system, ExperiencePreparedness Unit provided of Emotion Booth Design Ideation lighting, emergency supplies, mobile phone Justin Lavalee, Nicholas Polansky, Christopher an excellent example of dual-functionality and power charger and a radio channel through Dewart, Maya Taketani, Aditya Barve design for resilience – while providing amenities which to deliver public emergency information. for everyday life it also served a vital purpose Planter Unsil Play Everyday 3 For Life As everyday public infrastructure, the prototype for rare but critical momentsPof crisis. SomeShowbox the Ne IDEA Fogplay Plane Guerilla Street Market Sceneand Smaller & Exchange Portals TreeisSitting It's News provided to Me Mineral Benches also a seatingStreet area Sketch that can music features, such as the charging station, The Neighborhood Preparedness Unit is an Museum Upsidedown provide power. a public amenity in both circumstances. infrastructure system designed to respond to A compact modular design insured easy community needs during the first 72-hours after distribution while the integration of natural a disaster. hazard education the Bookmark Emoti Bricks further strengthened Shimmering Stars Activ Ping Pong community impact of this prototype P Planter Unsilence Adaptive Showbox Play Everyday 3 For Life Tag Tunnel Bench−Go−Round
TEAM
MARKET STREET CAN PROVIDE FOR EVERYDAY NEEDS AND DURING EMERGENCY SITUATIONS.
Bookmark
Emoti Bricks
Ping Pong
Shimmering Stars
Fog Plane
the Newsbin
Playscapes
LESSONS FOR MARKET STREET
Market Street should be a flexible space – one that provides during occasions both joyous and Fog Plane traumatic. Thefor Neighborhood Preparedness Understory Active Rest Room Thought M CCA in the City Unit reminds us to consider the design of the space and elemental provisions during potential fires, power outages and earthquakes. Market Street should simultaneously invite public life while supporting communities in times of ProtoHouse disaster with reliable off-grid power, water, heat, and communication. The installment of these streetscape features should also educate the public on proper response to disasters and how Policy & Systems to access and operate the provided emergency services when necessary. Social Impact Design Ideation
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Gehl – Makers on Market – Lessons from the Market Street Prototyping Festival
Guerilla Street Museum
4
Tree Sitting
SOCIAL IMPACT
Street Sketch
Does the prototype help people needP Planter it? Play Everyday 3 Forwho Life • • • • • • •
Creates opportunity for empowerment Builds capacity in individuals / citizens Builds capacity in organizations / groups Makes under-represented groups more visible Culturally inclusive Bookmark Emoti Bricks Supports family/children Relevant to broad users / visitors
Market Scene
Showbox
Smaller & Upsidedown
Living RoofsIt's News to Me Timber ValleyBenchesPeep Show Ember Exchange Portals Mineral at Your Feet
Unsilence Guerilla Street Adaptive GuerillaPlayscapes Street the Newsbin Museum
Sketch Market Sce Tree SittingTag Tunnel Street Tag Tunnel Bench−Go−Round
Museum
Ping Pong
Shimmering Stars
Everyday Active Rest PlayRoom for Thought3 For Life Understory
Ghost Arroyos Neighborhood Outpost Ghost Arroyos Neighborhood Outpost Preparedness Unit Preparedness Unit
P Planter CCA in the City Showbox
Walk MarketMeet Street Outpost Walk Market Street Wall Tenderloin Tenderloin Exertrail Exertrail
Tenderloin Exertrail
Case Study - Guerilla Street Museum TEAM
Fog Plane
CCA Architecture Guerrilla Street Museum Studio: Adika Djojosugito, Joy Fu, Danny Hsieh, Eva Jin, Saharsh Khaitan, Fredy Lim, Susan Lopez, Lu Li, Martin Setiawan, Andrea Tse, Melody Villavicencio, Christopher Baile with Associate Professor Neal J. Z. Schwartz
IDEA
Bookmark Ember
Emoti BricksProtoHouse Ping Pong
Shimmering S
Timber Valley Rain Mobile Selfie Prism Ember Living RoofsLiving Roofs Timber Valley Peep ShowsPeep ShowsMobile Selfie Rainbow
The Guerilla Street Museum was a seriesat Your Feetat Your Feet BoothExperience Booth WHY IT WORKED of creative kiosks that provided critical In order to provide help to at-risk and homeless information, unseen stories, and points for youth, at-risk and homeless youth must be Policy & Systems outreach to at-risk and homeless LGBT youth. aware that help is available and know how to Fog Plane The prototype was developed in collaboration Social Impact reach it. This is why shedding light on access Guerilla Market Scene Smaller & Smaller & Street Sketch Ex Street Market Scene Exchange Po Tree SittingTree Sitting Street Sketch with Larkin Street YouthGuerilla Services, an Street to assistance and resources in the public realm Museum Museum UpsidedownUpsidedown organization providing assistance and resources Design Ideation has a real impact on the lives of those at risk. to homeless youth in San Francisco for over 30 The Guerilla Street Museum provided a public years. access point for help exactly where it was needed most – the streets of San Francisco. For Planter Play Everyday 3 For P Planter Unsilence UnsilenceAdaptive Showbox Showbox Play Everyday 3 For Life theLife general public,P the prototype also succeeded the Newsbin the Newsbin Playscapes at raising awareness and telling the stories of those in their community who are otherwise unheard.
Emoti Bricks PingFOR Shimmering Stars Rest for Tho Ro Pong Bookmark Bookmark Emoti Bricks Shimmering Stars Active RestActiveRoom Pong Ping LESSONS MARKET STREET
Fog Plane Fog Plane
MARKET STREET CAN HOST ACCESS POINTS FOR HELP WHERE IT IS NEEDED MOST.
Market Street should be a place of tolerance, awareness, and service. No other street in the city hosts a broader range of people, making it the ideal place to provide resources for the hardest populations to reach and help. Nonprofit organizations that address critical challenges to San Francisco such as homelessness, atrisk youth, drug addiction, personal health and housing affordability should be given priority over advertisers to reach target populations in the visual space of Market Street.
EVALUATION OF PROTOTYPES 71
DESIGN & IDEATION
Ghost Arroyos
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Guerilla Street Museum Walk Market Street Meet Wall
Neighborhood Preparedness Unit
Outpost
Tenderloin Exertrail
Is this a clear, legible and good idea? Roofs Timber Valley Peep Shows • Ember SupportsLiving Better Market Street concepts and goals at Your Feet • Intelligible to general public • Invitations are appropriate to the context • Stacks functions (i.e. does multiple things) • Novel, inspiring, provocative solution for Market Street • Street Invites for Tree newSitting activities Guerilla Street Sketch Market Scene Museum • Elicits positive user response
Street Sketch
Tree Sitting
Data Lanterns
Market Scene
Peak Experience
Smaller & Exchange Por Upsidedown Commond Ground Arena Play
AdaptiveWa 3 For Life Ghost Arroyos P Planter Outpost Unsilence Tenderloin Exertrail Neighborhood Showbox P Planter Outpost the Newsbin Playscapes Preparedness Unit Rainbow Prismatic The Sound Tree of Changes The Cephalopod Daily Boost Experience of Emotion
Play Everyday Mobile Selfie Booth
Bookmark Smaller & Upsidedown
Emoti Bricks Ember
Exchange Portals
Shimmering Stars Room for Thou PingLiving Pong Roofs Timber ValleyActive Rest Peep Shows M at Your Feet Relax TenderloinChimeSF Walk Ma Outpost Exertrail GhostIt's Arroyos News to Me Mineral Benches Neighborhood Neighborhood Relax Preparedness Unit
Preparedness Unit
Case Study - PPlanter Fog Plane
Guerilla Street
Tree Sitting
Street Sketch
Market Scene
women urinate standing up (women are provided Museum WHY IT WORKED P Planter Unsilence Adaptive Showbox Play Everyday 3 For Life Roofs Timber Valley Peep Shows Neuroflowers Ember Tag Tunnel Living Bench−Go−Round Zen Door a disposable funnel) with theirPlayscapes mid-sections Urban Biofilter and the Hyphae Design Lab: Cities can be Feet frustrating places for even the Newsbin at Your covered by a panel, offering enough privacy Marisha Farnsworth, Brent Bucknum, Graham the most basic of human needs – PPlanter for user comfort without so much as to invite Prentice addressed the need for public restrooms in potential illicit activity. A foot-pump provides an environmentally conscious way while P Planter Play Everyday 3 For just enough water for hand washing, which then contributing to theLife greenery of Market Street. Showbox IDEA Bookmark Emoti Bricks Knock Stop Music Shimmering Starsurine through Active Rest Room to foran Thought Ping Pong Guerilla Understory Street SketchPedals Market Scene Musical Tree Sitting CCA in the City washes the system airtight The design process for thisStreet prototype produced The PPlanter is an environmentally sustainable Museum tank for the planter where it serves as fertilizer a pragmatic, creative and context-sensitive public restroom designed to fit in a parking space for bamboo plants. solution for an everyday urban problem and much like a parklet. The structure lets men and served multiple functions with a simple, streamlinedEmoti system. Bookmark Bricks Shimmering Stars Ping Pong
TEAM
Fog Plane
Play Everyday ProtoHouse
MARKET STREET CAN BE A PLACE THAT PROVIDES FOR BASIC HUMAN NEEDS
3 For Life
P Planter
Showbox
LESSONS FOR MARKET STREET
Market Street should be a place that provides for Happiness & basic human needs with clean water fountains, Well-Being Policyof & reprieve Systems when nature clean Fog Planeair, and places Mixing Space calls. If Emoti theseBricks provisions canPing be linked into a Bookmark Shimmering Stars Pong Social Impact symbiotic system that conserves resources and takes care of people’s needs, the city asExecution a Design Ideation whole can become a more natural and nurturing Longevity place. Prototypes like PPlanter could serve as an iterative stage of larger environmentallyFog Plane sustainable networks between infrastructure, green space and people.
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Gehl – Makers on Market – Lessons from the Market Street Prototyping Festival
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LONGEVITY Outpost Ghost Arroyos Neighborhood With refinement or more durable construction, Preparedness Unit could this idea last on Market Street?
• • • • • •
Tenderloin Exertrail
Walk Market Street
Walk Market Street
Meet Wall Lanterns Peak Exper Ghost Arroyos Data Neighborhood Ghost ArroyosPreparedness Unit
Translates to durable and sustainable construction Suggests a “version 2.0” Mobilizes stewards and champions Living Roofs Timber Valley Peep Shows The SoundT Mobile Selfie Rainbow Prismatic Ember Daily Boost Living Roofs Ember Avoids maintenance issues at Your Feet Experience of Emotion Booth at Your Feet Walk Market Street Meet Wall Outpost Tenderloin Exertrail Ghost Arroyos Neighborhood Peak Experience Lanterns Exertrail Walk MarketCommond Street Ground Meet Wall Outpost Data Tenderloin Ghost Arroyos Neighborhood Avoids user conflicts Outpost Peak Preparedness Unit Preparedness Unit Avoids safety hazards Experience
Case Study - Walk Market Street TEAM Walk [Your City]
Ember
Guerilla Street Museum
Guerilla Street Street Sketch Market Scene Smaller & ExchangeGuerilla Portals Street It's News Tree Sitting Me Mineral Ben S TreetoSitting Museum IDEA Upsidedown WHY IT WORKED Museum Living Roofs Timber Valley Peep Shows Rainbow PrismaticTimber Valley The Sound Mobile Selfie Tree Rainbow of Changes Daily Boost Living Roofs Peep Shows PrismT Ember Mobile Selfie Walk Market Street is a modular urban The reasons for Walk Market Street’s success at Your Feet of Emotion Boothat Your FeetExperience Experience Booth
wayfinding signage system that helps locals or are threefold: utter simplicity of concept and newcomers navigate the city by foot. Signs point execution, navigable directions to places not to nearby attractions, amenities and services easily found on Google Maps, and a sometimes P Planter Adaptive Showbox Play Everyday 3 For Life Everyday 3 For Life Bench−Go−R with an estimate of the time needed to travel by startlingUnsilence awareness of just howPlay close even Tag Tunnel the Newsbin Playscapes Street Market Scene Smaller &Tree Sitting Portals Tree Sitting It's News to Me Benches Guerilla Street Streetknown Sketch Market Exchange Po foot. Sketch Pedestrians with smart phones can scan a Exchange commonly places areScene toMineral people whoSmaller may & Relax Museum Upsidedown Upsidedown QR code for more detailed directions. have otherwise taken a bus or car. Walk [Your City] is a community-driven project; anyone can create and print way finding signs for the places in their Bookmark Emoti Bricks Understory Shimmering Starsthey loveActive Rest cities. Room for Thought Ping Pong Bookmark Emoti Bricks CCA in the
Play Everyday
3 For Life
Bookmark
Emoti Bricks
Fog Plane
Unsilence3 For Life Adaptive Showbox Bench−Go−Round P Planter Tag Tunnel Unsilence Neuroflowers Adaptive Showbox Play Everyday MARKET STREET CAN the Newsbin Playscapes the Newsbin Playscapes LESSONS FOR MARKET STREET PROVIDE WAYFINDING Between Yelp and Google Maps, it’s easy to FOR EXPERIENCES AND find restaurants and businesses in a new LOCAL KNOWLEDGE AS A place – Walk Market Street shows needProtoHouse for Fog Plane Fogthe Plane wayfinding experiences andStars local knowledge MusicalRoom SERVICE K Shimmering Stars Room for ThoughtPingfor Ping Pong PUBLIC Bookmark Active Rest Emoti Bricks Pedals in the City Active Rest Shimmering CCA for Tho Pong Understory P Planter
Fog Plane
as a public service. For example, how far away is The Wiggle and how does one get to it? In what alleys do street artists exhibit their best work? Where is a nice quiet place to enjoy the water? Market Street should be a legible environment ProtoHouse for newcomers and locals alike.
Polic
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Mixin Social Impact
Execu Design Ideation
EVALUATION OF PROTOTYPES 73
Longevity
7
EXECUTION
Ember
Living Roofs Living Roofs Ember at Your Feet at Your Feet
Peep Shows Timber Valley Timber Valley Peep ShowsMobile Selfie Rain MobileRainbow Selfie Prism Booth Booth ExperienceE
Walk Market Street Meet Wal Outpost Tenderloin Commond Exertrail Ground GhostMeet Arroyos Walk Market Street Wall Neighborhood Outpost Tenderloin Exertrail Arena Play Neighborhood Data Lanterns Peak Experience How well was the prototype made, within Outpost Common Ground Preparedness Unit Preparedness Unit Market Scene Guerilla Street Exchange Po Tree Sitting Guerilla Street Market Scene Smaller & Smaller Street Sketch & Ex Tree Sitting Street Sketch the Festival context? Museum Museum Upsidedown Upsidedown
Ghost Arroyos
• Works well within neighborhood, block, streetscape • High level of craft and thoughtful detailing • Construction materials are efficient, sustainable Living Roofs Timber Valley Peep Shows Ember Feet • RealizesatitsYour ambitions as a project in festival context
Case Study - Outpost
Guerilla Street Museum TEAM
Tree Sitting
Street Sketch
Market Scene
Mobile Selfie Booth
Smaller &
EmberPrismaticLiving RoofsDaily Boost Rainbow at Your Feet Experience Play Everyday 3 For Life 3 For Life Play Everyday
Timber Peep Shows Rainbow Prism Mobile TheValley Sound Tree of Changes TheSelfie Cephalopod Experience Booth of Emotion P Planter P PlanterShowbox Showbox Unsilence UnsilenceAdaptive PPlanter Showbox the Newsbin Playscapes the Newsbin
Guerilla StreetPortals Tree Sitting Sketch Exchange It's News to MeStreet Mineral BenchesMarket Scene Relax
Smaller & Exchange Po ChimeSF
Upsidedown Outpost hostedUpsidedown tours of the Museum wildlife in the area, WHY IT WORKED BookmarkBookmark Emoti Bricks Stars Emoti Bricks Ping Pong Ping Shimmering Shimmering StarsActive RestActiveRoom Rest for Tho Ro Pong planting workshops, film screenings, bike repair Studio for Urban Projects: Richard Johnson, Many prototypes provided a novel experience lessons, food and play, all from within a simple Alison Sant, Jessica Fine, Ryan Mesch predicated on the surprise and delight of the prefabricated structure. first interaction. Outpost, on the other hand, provided a constantly changing program of PBench−Go−Round Planter Adaptive ShowboxNeuroflowers Unsilence Play Everyday 3 For LifeTag Tunnel P Planter Unsilence Adaptive Showbox PlayIDEA Everyday 3 For Life Zen Door events that drew people back for entirely new the Newsbin Playscapes the Newsbin Playscapes Outpost is a prototype of both program and Fog Plane Fog Plane experiences on each occasion. The flexibility of structure. The installation piloted 72 hours of the space and diverse programming created a programming to provoke new ways to interact successful place for people to gather. Outpost with nature, enhance the life of the street, and scored among the top four prototypes in every connect people to active transportation. Bookmark Emoti Bricks Shimmering Stars evaluation. Rest Room for Tho Pong criterionPing ofCCA Gehl Studio’s prototype Understory Bookmark Emoti Bricks Knock Stop Music Shimmering Stars Active Rest Room for Thought Ping Pong Musical Pedals Active in the City
Fog Plane
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MARKET STREET CAN OFFER FLEXIBLE SPACES THAT SUPPORT A VARIETY Fog Plane OF PROGRAMMING FUNCTIONS.
Gehl – Makers on Market – Lessons from the Market Street Prototyping Festival
LESSONS FOR MARKET STREET Places for public life are about more than design–the programming of different activities and events make spaces dynamic and diverse. A ProtoHouse movie night, a Latin funk band, poetry readings and gardening lessons can all happen in the Happiness & same urban space and invite people from a Well-Being variety of age groups cultural backgrounds Policy and & Systems Mixing to enjoy the city, with more to look forward to Space Social Impact for the next event. The design of Market Street Execution should be flexible and layered with ongoing Design Ideation programmed activity to reinforce invitations Longevity for vibrant public life to all residents.
EVALUATION OF PROTOTYPES 75
6
Evaluation of Prototypes
INSIGHTS
The curation of the prototypes on each block was very important to individual prototype success. Two types of curatorial approaches stood out as successful, and could inform future prototype incubation strategy for Market’s Street Life Zones: 1. Full profile stand-alone - Prototypes that scored well 2. Narrow profile mix - Prototypes that scored in many evaluation criteria could have stood alone on a well in just one evaluation criteria needed other block. These prototypes had a complex meaning that complementary elements to succeed. These drew people to them for different reasons, creating prototypes punctuated the space, but needed either a durable experience that attracted many people to other continuous design features in the streetscape them, and could be returned to again and again for a or complementary prototypes in order to be new experience. successful on the block
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Gehl – Makers on Market – Lessons from the Market Street Prototyping Festival
Some prototypes had a concept, but failed any standout experience Because of poor execution, flawed design concept, or for other reasons, some prototypes failed to legibly communicate their contribution to the streetscape. More resources for test installations, peer critique sessions, or other collaborative design processes may have helped these prototypes become dynamic contributions to the streetscape.
Successful prototypes didn’t hijack the street experience Successful prototypes prioritized the right-of-way of pedestrians in a way that allowed people to choose their participation level. In successful prototypes, participants never felt ‘stuck’ in the prototype experience, which allowed for maximum interaction and engagement because people had the freedom to always enter back into the flow of the street.
EVALUATION OF PROTOTYPES 77
6
Evaluation of Prototypes
INSIGHTS
The physical design of the prototypes had a big impact on their success. Patterns that worked could be built into a future evaluation criteria or design brief: 1. Permeable enclosure through “street rooms” with various thresholds between the passthrough space of the sidewalk and the prototype itself. These street rooms provide the comfort of a partial-buffer from the stressors and stimuli of the street, and allow visitors to engage more fully in people watching, play, social interaction, or other activities the prototype invites. 2. Visual beacon that draws a pedestrian towards an area they might not have walked towards, or a landmark that lets one know they’ve arrived. Once they have done so, the prototype has an intimate scale up-close. 3. Ability to view people from a safe vantage point (prospect/refuge)
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4. Furnishing for staying, including a varied ecology of seating. For example, benches for one, two, or more people, at different heights, combined with places to lean. 5. Successful prototypes merged content with placemaking 6. Designing for play is a powerful way to break the monoculture of the street. Asking pedestrians to engage in new activities made the street a place with a gravity unto itself. This impacts other pedestrians as well, not only the game-players. 7. Signage doesn’t have to be just utilitarian, it can inform and change mindset. Streets and sidewalks are useful for transportation, but they also hold the history and meaning of a place, and can provide direction to spontaneous experiences.
Gehl – Makers on Market – Lessons from the Market Street Prototyping Festival
Programming and community partners elevated prototypes from good to great The quantity of programming changed the quality of the prototype. Prototypes that had consistent programming throughout the day could be counted on which meant experiences didn’t have to be scheduled, creating maximum buzz and serendipity. Collaborations with community organizations were best when they provided site-specific programming, instead of just putting their mission on the street.
EVALUATION OF PROTOTYPES 79
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Gehl – Makers on Market – Lessons from the Market Street Prototyping Festival
PART IV
NEXT STEPS 81
SOLUTIONS TO URBAN CHALLENGES MSPF process worked well to activate Market Street with new ideas from the bottom up, but could the process be used to tackle other challenges faced by cities? The prototyping festival provides a model for partnership and creative problem solving that can be adapted and applied to other pressing urban challenges. Prototyping allows city departments to engage constructively with citizens, transferring agency to the community and providing a platform for new ideas to be developed and tested. By convening non-traditional actors such as community organizations, academics, citizen groups, and experts from a range of disciplines, prototyping can enable the discovery of new solutions quickly. Opening the process has the added potential of building trust in civic processes.
The collaboration between the SF Planning Department and YBCA also offers a model for institutional partnership. Government organizations can team up with non-profit organizations and civil society groups that share an interest in a public goal. Prototyping differs from traditional engagement, in that idea proponents are tasked with building and testing the solution they are suggesting in a low cost and low risk environment. Testing the idea in the public realm offers the opportunity to materialize ideas and present them to an even larger set of constituents.
THE SECOND DOCUMENT IN THIS SERIES PROPOSES HOW PROTOTYPING MIGHT BE USED TO TACKLE OTHER URBAN CHALLENGES
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Gehl – Makers on Market – Lessons from the Market Street Prototyping Festival
THREE KEY STEPS Prototyping works particularly well for challenges of creativity or vision, in which anyone has the potential for great ideas. The prototyping platform could be the missing link between these ideas and the implementation of pragmatic solutions.
Build partnerships around common challenges
Invite new actors to test ideas
Prototyping
City Government
Learn and adopt solutions for a better city
A Better City
Standard Process
NEXT STEPS 83