LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR
0SPUR SPUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS r
d
Anne Halsted "Ul 1 (
David Friedman
Alexa Arena Andy Barnes Emilio Cruz Bill Rosetti Lydia Tan V. Fel Tsen
Mary Mccue
Bob Gamble I
m nl
"
Co Linda Jo Fitz
Co-Chairs Michael Alexander Paul Sedway
Carl Anthony Veronica Bell Chris Block Larry Burnett Michaela Cassidy Madeline Chun Charmaine Curtis Oz Erickson Manny Flores Geoff Gibbs Gillian Gillett Chris Gruwell Ed Harrington Dave Hartley Aldan Hughes Chris Iglesias Laurie Johnson V.J. Kumar Susan Leal Dick Lonergan John Madden Janine McCaflery Jacinta Mccann Hyrdra Mendoza Ezra Mersey Terry Micheau Mary Murphy Jeanne Myerson
Adhi Nagraj Brad Paul Rich Peterson Chris Poland Teresa Rea Byron Rhett Rebecca Rhine Wade Rose Paul Sedway Victor Seeto Elizabeth Seifel Carl Shannon Chi-Hsln Shao Doug Shoemaker Ontario Smith Bill Stotler Stuart Sunshine Michael Teitz Mike Theriault Will Travis Molly Turner Jett Tumlin Steve Vettel Francesca Vietor Fran Weld Allison Williams Cynthia Wilusz Lovell Cindy Wu
CHAIRS & COMMITTEES Pr09ram
CommlttHs Bob Gamble
L I r Pl Laurie Johnson Chris Poland Hou Ing Ezra Mersey Lydia Tan ProJ ct Review Charmaine Curtis Mary Beth Sanders Reuben Schwartz
Tra portallon Anthony Bruzzone Water Polley Bry Sa rte
I
Larry Burnett Libby Selfe! Optr1tlng
Committees Audit John Madden
an Larry Burnett flu Hem nip Tom Hart Terry Micheau
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utlve
David Friedman Anne Halsted
Bob Gamble
Mary Mccue IVI
Ht b
hip Bill Stotler Inv 111ent Ann Lazarus
Major Donor Linda Jo Fitz Anne Halsted dGlvln,i Michaela Cassidy Sliver SPUR Dave Hartley Teresa Rea
SAN JOSE ADVISORY BOARD Teresa Alvarado Andy Barnes Chris Block J. Richard Braugh Larry Burnett Brian Darrow Gordon Feller
2
JUNE 2013
Garrett Herbert Karla Rodriguez Lomax James MacGregor Connie Martinez Janine Mccaffery Anu Natarajan
Dr. Mohammad Qayoumi Robert Steinberg, FAIA Lydia Tan Kim Walesh Jessica Zenk •
Vision First
Taking down a freeway is not a new idea in San Francisco. Two major freeways - the double-decker freeway that rounded the Embarcadero and the Central Freeway which cut through Hayes Valley - were demolished and replaced with surface boulevards. Both of these were severely damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, leading some to quip that the gods had their own planning agenda in mind for San Francisco - one that didn't include elevated roadways. Sarah Karlinsky Of course it wasn't the earthquake that actually got the freeways is SPUR'S Deputy taken down; it was the hard work of individuals who wanted to see something better in their city. In 1990, then mayor Art Agnos called for Director the Embarcadero Freeway to be taken down and lost his re-election bid the next year. In the late 1990s, multiple competing ballot measures were placed before voters representing very different visions for Hayes. Valley - some seeking to rebuild the Central Freeway and others to create a new surface boulevard and park in the form of Octavia Boulevard . Ultimately, both freeways came down and few would argue that the city isn't the better for it. Such changes in cities don't just happen. People have to develop a vision for change and convince ·others that such change is good. People with technical expertise need to weigh in to make sure the details work; politicians have to find the political will to make it happen. The people who had the vision in the first place need to hold on to that vision and push forward even when all hope seems lost. This is the path forward with all great transformations, not just with the boulevards, but also with the creation of regional treasures like the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and Crissy Field and the development of BART. We hope to add to these successes with the creation of a Transbay Transit Center, a reimagined Ocean Beach, a thriving downtown San Jose and a high speed rail system that will connect all of California. This issue of The Urbanist is about a new big idea. Actually, three big ideas . The first is to have Caltrain and high-speed rail travel underground through Mission Bay. The second is to take down Highway 280 and replace it with a surface boulevard. The third is to move the railyards at Fourth and King in order to redevelop the site with jobs, housing and retail. Taken together, these changes would have an enormous positive impact on the eastern part of San Francisco, helping to make better connections between SOMA, Mission Bay and Potrero Hill while strengthening our reg ional transit network. The plans and diagrams in the following pages are meant to be part of a conversation that is starting to percolate among increasing numbers of people interested in replacing portions of Highway 280 with something better. Our work is meant to lead to more questions and ideas. more thinking , more asking "What if?". It is the first step forward on what will be most certainly a very long path toward change. We look forward to continuing the conversation - and to creatively facing the challenges ahead. •
Cover illustration by Shawn Hazen . The Urbanist is edited by Allison Ariefl and designed by Shawn Hazen, hazencreati ve.com .
THE URBANIST
JUNE 2013
News at
SPUR Imagining a brighter future for the Sixth Street corridor.
Draft Central Corridor Plan: Looks Good, Needs More Height Last month the planning department released a draft of the Central Corridor Plan, the result of several years of planning efforts. The plan represents an enormous opportunity to build on the substantial transit investment in the area, most notably the $1 .6 billion Central Subway project, as well as existing transit in the form of the Fourth and King Caltrain station and the N Judah, as well as many local bus lines. There's much to like in the Central Corridor Plan, including greater flexibility in zoning with an eye toward encouraging job uses as well as streetscape and biking improvements. However, the plan doesn't go far enough in promoting housing and especially job uses in this transit-rich location, one of the few remaining areas in San Francisco where going big makes sense. SPUR will continue to analyze the plan, supporting all the great aspects while advocating for improvements.
Ensuring Better Standards for BRT At its May meeting , the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) approved an EIR addendum for the Santa Clara/ Alum Rock Bus Rapid Transit project. The 7.2 mileproject will serve downtown San Jose, the HP Pavilion , San Jose State University, Eastridge Transit Center. Mexican Heritage Plaza and hundreds of businesses along this corridor. SPUR worked with VTA. the City of San Jose and other stakeholders to ensure that a station would be located at San Jose City Hall and helped redesign the downtown station to better suit a dense urban setting. SPUR will continue to advocate for a high standard of bus rapid transit (BRT). one that will be a model for future BRT projects in the region.
San Jose Makes Selling Fresh Food Easier The City of San Jose recently amended its vending ordinance to make it easier for mobile vendors to sell fresh fruits and vegetables throughout the city, including on private land in residential neighborhoods. SPUR supported this change, an effort
THE URBANIST
led by the Health Trust and the city, as numerous neighborhoods in San Jose are considered food deserts - areas where residents have limited access to fresh food. By removing existing permit and zoning barriers to small-scale fresh food retail operations. the ordinance will allow vendors to pilot new business models that also help increase residents ' access to healthy foods.
Sixth and Market Intervention Brings Out the Community On May 18, SPUR partnered with Twitter, Neighborland, SFMTA, Rebar and URBAN SPACEship, among other groups, to close a parking lane on Sixth Street, between Market and Stevenson Streets, and ask neighbors and visitors alike to envision the future of that corridor. Hundreds of people participated. responding to the question: "How do we create a safer Sixth?" The ideas generated will help to guide the future of Sixth Street. •
JUNE 2013
3
THE FUTURE OF 280
Taking Down a Freeway to Reconnect a Neighborhood Three big urban planning moves that could transform San Francisco.
Summary: Highway 280, the
Caltrain railyards , and plans for high speed rail create barriers between SoMA, Potrero Hill and Mission Bay. But San Francisco has the opportunity to advance bold new ideas that enhance both our transportation system and the public realm.
By the Boulevard Task Force
All renderings courtesy of AECOM
unless otherwise noted
4
JUNE 2013
After the Embarcadero and Central Freeways were severely damaged in the Loma Prieta earthquake, San Francisco took a tragic situation and turned it into a great urban planning success story: the creation of the Embarcadero and Octavia boulevards. Taking down these freeways and replacing them with surface boulevards created enormous positive land use changes in the surrounding neighborhoods. This enabled San Francisco to reconnect with its waterfront and supported the creation of the Market and Octavia Neighborhood Plan. San Francisco now has another opportunity to take down a freeway while creating major transportation infrastructure improvements in an important area of the city. Currently, the stub end of Interstate 280 creates a barrier between the developing Mission Bay neighborhood and Potrero Hill. At the same time, the Caltrain railyard - 19 acres stretching from Fourth Street to Seventh Street between King and Townsend - forms a barrier between Mission Bay and SOMA. The obstruction will only get worse if current plans for high-speed rail proceed , forcing 16th Street and Mission Bay Boulevard into depressed trenches beneath the tracks and the elevated freeway. SPUR believes that these challenges can be addressed with a few dramatic urban planning and
18TH
nn THE URBANIST
FIGURE 1
Replacing 1-280 with a surface boulevard
What would a surface boulevard look like?
would create many opportunities for improvement, including the creation of new green spaces that would help to link many neighborhoods.together.
THE URBANIST
JUNE 2013
5
THE FUTURE OF 280
FIGURE 2
The 280 elevated freeway and piles The 1-280 freeway and supporting piles form a barrier that is difficult - and in some cases impossible - for pedestrians to cross . The Caltrain tracks run between these piles.
transportation infrastructure moves that could transform this divided part of the city while also generating funding for several key regionally important transit projects - namely, the electrification of Caltrain , the extension of Caltrain into the Transbay Terminal and putting high-speed rail underground , as opposed to having it travel at street level through Potrero Hill and Mission Bay, which would require crossing streets to go below grade. While the path to making these changes will be a challenging one, SPUR believes that it is worth developing this vision further to see if it can be made into reality.
1. Existing Conditions FIGURE 3
The freeway ramps The freeway ramps form a tangle at the edge of the railyards, creating yet another barrier.
FIGURE 4
Sixteenth Street crossing under the freeway Sixteenth Street currently runs at grade, heading under the elevated freeway from Potrero Hill to Mission Bay.
1
CEMOF is a new 20-acre faci lity located to the
north of Diridon Station in San Jose, replacing an
storage tracks, an on-site fueling facility, service pits and a machine to wash trains. About 150
old 22-acre ya rd formerly located on the same site
people work at CEMOF performing maintenance,
and consolidating most of Caltrain's maintenance
and roughly 120 Caltrain train crew members are
and operations in one location. CEMOF is Caltrain's
based there.
Right now, several massive infrastructure barriers separate Mission Bay, Potrero Hill and SOMA from one another. 1-280 runs along Seventh Street, cutting off Mission Bay from Potrero Hill. Sixteenth Street, which is slated to become a future transit connector with a bus rapid transit (BRT) line, travels under 1-280 and across the Caltrain tracks. To the north . the Ca/train railyard creates a large barrier between Mission Bay, Showplace Square and SoMa. taking up three long city blocks . Pedestrians. bicycles and vehicles cannot cross the site between Fourth Street and Mission Bay Boulevard , and a tangle of freeway ramps clutters the southwest edge of the site. Currently, the Caltrain railyard is used for train storage and layover and for light servicing such as emptying garbage and cleaning restrooms. All of the important maintenance work is done at Caltrain's Central Equipment and Maintenance Facility (CEMOF) in San Jose. 1 Meanwhile, Mission Bay is currently being developed into a regional employment center. The Mission Channel and the park are difficult to access from the surrounding neighborhoods due to their proximity to the freeway ramps, limiting their potential use by workers and residents in Showplace Square. Potrero Hill and SOMA . To add to these barriers, future plans for highspeed rai l ca ll for lowering 16th Street below surface level in order to allow trains to run at street level in the Ca/train right-of-way. If this happens, the entire intersection of 16th and Seventh streets would be subgrade, as would Mission Bay Boulevard . These changes would undermine plans to upgrade 16th Street into a viable tran sit, pedestrian. bic ycle and traffic route.
centra l control facility, with water treatment and
6 JUNE 2013
THE URBANIST
FIGURES
High-Speed Rail Authority proposal for 16th and Seventh streets In the California High Speed Rail Authority 's current proposal, 16th Street would run in a depressed tr.ench under the high-speed rail train.
FIGURE 6
An elevated view of the High-Speed Rail Authority proposal Portions of Seventh Street would dip below grade as they approach 16th Street.
FIGURE 7
High-Speed Rail Authority proposal for Mission Bay Boulevard Mission Bay Boulevard would run beneath high-speed rail in an underground loop structure.
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2 . Future rail tran sit infrastructure Significant regional transit improvements are slated for downtown San Francisco and the surrounding area. Caltrain has planned a system upgrade to electrify its tracks and purchase new electric trains that allow for faster acceleration and deceleration , more service and greater flexibility regarding the number of cars per train. Additionally, the second phase of the Transbay Transit Center project known as the Downtown Extension - will provide an underground Caltrain station at Fourth and Townsend and extend Caltrain into the new Transit Center. While both the Downtown Extension and the electrification of Caltrain are moving forward, they are not yet fully funded. The Downtown Extension will cost $2.6 billion, and Caltrain electrification $1.5 billion, but both projects face significant funding challenges. At the same time, the California high-speed rail project is in the process of being developed. The idea is that a high-speed train will ultimately connect San Francisco to Los Angeles, with up to four trains per hour arriving at the Transbay Transit Center. The current high-speed rail business plan calls for a so-called "blended system" for the 50 miles between San Jose's Diridon Station and the Transbay Transit Center, meaning that Caltrain and high-speed rail would share two tracks for most of that distance. This plan will require grade separation at many intersections where trains cross above or below automobile traffic, and without conflict between the two (see Figures 5-7). Now is an important time to engage in the discussion of how Caltrain operates in San Francisco, as Caltrain and the City of San Francisco are undertaking a feasibility study to explore reducing or eliminating Caltrain's footprint at Fourth and King. This study will provide an opportunity this year to modify Caltrain's electrification project as long as the study results do not significantly delay Caltrain's electrification process or result in substantial additional capital or operations costs. The landscape of future federal funding for major transportation projects is changing to reward transit-oriented development. giving us the opportunity to take a fresh look at potential development opportunities. This is good timing, as it will take at least a decade for high-speed rail to move north and for the region's other federally funded major transportation projects (Central Subway and BART to Silicon Valley) to be completed.
JUNE 2013
7
THE FUTURE OF 280
3. The big moves There are several big urban planning and infrastructure moves that could leverage the large transportation investments described above while addressing urban design challenges. Taken together, these moves improve the entire area , knitting together SOMA, Mission Bay and Potrero Hill. They also have the potential to generate financial value by developing newly available land and making existing land more valuable. This value can in turn be recaptured by the public sector to fund transit and urban design improvements. Taking such steps could be transformative for the area and for the city as a whole. The big moves are:
1. Putting Caltrain and high-speed rail underground 2. Tearing down 1-280 and replacing it with a surface boulevard
3. Redeveloping the Fourth and King railyards and the surplus freeway parcels 8
JUNE 2013
While any of these moves could be undertaken independently of the others, done in tandem they have the potential to greatly benefit all of the surrounding neighborhoods while providing funding for the large transit improvements described above.
FIGURE 8
Disconnected Neighborhoods Current infrastructure cuts through existing neighborhoods, creating barriers such as
Big move#l:
the freeway overpass and supporting piles,
Put high-speed rail and Caltrain underground
seen below (Figures 2-4).
Today, Caltrain runs from the 22nd Street Station through a tunnel under Potrero Hill , proceeding at street level from Mariposa Street into the Fourth and King railyard, where it currently terminates. As described above, Caltrain is expected to run underground, together with high-speed rail, from Fourth and King to the Transbay Terminal as part of the Downtown Extension. However, there are several issues with the current Downtown Extension plan. The new rail tunnel portal planned for Seventh and Townsend Streets would inhibit the development potential of the THE URBANIST
railyard. Also, this portal will include a tight track curve on a grade (slope), which will substantially limit train speeds. Furthermore, grade separation will be required for high-speed rail at both 16th and Seventh streets. which will create additional neighborhood barriers as described above. There are several possible options for the Ca/train/ high-speed rail extension that would reduce its impact on Mission Bay and Potrero Hill, deliver a better urban design and create a superior technical alignment into Mission Bay and the new Transbay Transit Center. All of the options have advantages and disadvantages and require further study. However, all would begin track undergrounding north of Cesar Chavez Street, be run completely under Mission Bay, feature a Mission Bay Station and then proceed to the new Transbay Transit Center. There are many benefits to these options , all of which would let 16th Street and Mission Bay Boulevard remain at the surface. The rail alignments could eliminate the tight curve at Seventh and Townsend , allowing the trains to run faster. THE URBANIST
The 22nd Street station could move to 16th Street, or perhaps Cesar Chavez, allowing for a connection to Mission Bay and linking 16th Street bus rapid transit (BRT) and Mission District buses. This underground option also allows the rai/yard to be developed and for the public to recapture some of the value of that development. Tradeoffs include revisiting the alignment options, and possibly additional costs.
FIGURE 9
Transit concept with high-speed rail and Caltrain underground If high-speed rail and Caltrain move underground, many other urban design and transportation benefits could follow. The image above shows one possible version of a future underground high-speed rail and
Big move #2:
Caltraln alignment.
Tear down 1-280 and replace it with a surface boulevard
Currently, 1-280 runs above street level along and above the existing Ca/train tracks, touching down just south of the Caltrain railyards at Fourth and King. What would happen if 1-280 instead touched down between 17th and Mariposa Streets and the remainder of the freeway was replaced with a surface boulevard?
JUNE 2013
9
THE FUTURE OF 280
FIGURE 10
New Mission Bay Boulevard (section) In addition to accommodating cars, the boulevard could include a separated bike lane and graciously sized sidewalks.
15' 1idewalk
10'1ow away lane
11'
10'
8' median
10'
11'
10' tow away lane
20' multi-modal pathway with 4' vegetated buffers
25' sklewalk
70' deep development sd8
minimum 200' nght of way
FIGURES 11AND12
Access to Mission Creek Park is currently
Potential access to Mission Creek Park if the freeway is removed
obstructed by the freeway (left). If the freeway were removed, Mission Creek Park would become an asset to the entire area. The drawing below shows a future view of Seventh Street to Mission Creek and beyond .
10 JUNE 2013
THE URBANIST
That would allow for radically improved connectivity between Mission Bay, Showplace Square and Potrero Hill, with crossings at 16th Street, Irwin Street, Hooper Street and Berry Street. Mission Creek Channel would become accessible to neighborhoods to the north and west. And parcels of land that previously were used for highway infrastructure could be redeveloped, and their value recaptured. The boulevard itself would allow for vastly improved bicycle access, including a separated bicycle path. The boulevard would also support
an improved pedestrian experience. allowing for people to comfortably use the liberated street grid. Wide sidewalks could be added to either side of the boulevard to encourage pedestrian activity. Many other possibilities for urban design improvements would be created as well. A new, greener Hubbell Street would link Mission Creek to Jackson Playground. A series of smaller pedestrian plazas and areas of widened sidewalks could sustain an active streetscape south of Mission Creek. San Francisco could have its own version of New York
FIGURE 13 AND 14
The freeway forms a barrier throughout
Potential future view from Daggett Street to Mission Bay
Showplace Square/Potrero Hill. The view shown at left looks east from Daggett Street to Mission Bay. Removing the freeway would greatly improve the connections between Showplace Square/Potrero Hill and Mission Bay (below).
THE URBANIST
JUNE 2013
11
THE FUTURE OF 280
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16TH ST BUS RAPID TRANSIT
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City's High Line if a segment of the freeway were repurposed as a raised park. And perhaps most important, the Showplace Square/Potrero street grid could be reconnected with Mission Bay. The removal of the freeway and the undergrounding of high-speed rail and Caltrain offer another way of thinking about land use in the area. With these changes, 16th Street could become an important transit spine, especially when BRT is implemented along the corridor. The area at Seventh and Townsend could become a mixed-use gateway to the rest of the community, and the Fourth and King intersection could become a more successful commercial , transit-oriented development (TOD). 12 JUN E 20 13
..t... 't •
..
••• •
•• •• CALTRAIN •
I
•
BELOW-GRADE • • HIGH-SPEED RAIL • •
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FIGURE 15
One possible growth concept supported by freeway removal Replacing 1-280 with a boulevard would create opportunities for new develop ment, including a potential mixed-use, transit-oriented development node at 16th Street if the Caltrain stop were moved to that location.
THE URBANIST
J JD O__. J . D--...a .~ J D DD _ _.._6THST
1 T. l)X.1.-..-...
FIGURE 16
Opportunity sites and connectivity The removal of the freeway would create opportunities for new development and value recapture, both on land previously within the existing 1-280 footprint and another land within the vicinity of the new boulevard.
-
=softsite
~----_:
=existing 1·280 footprint
<-·• = new connections
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nnnnn JUN E 2013
13
THE FUTURE OF 280
Value generated from development in all these areas could be recaptured to fund further public improvements.
Big move#3: Redeveloping the Caltrain railyards
In our 2007 report A New Transit First Neighborhood, SPUR explored the opportunity to develop new buildings over the Fourth and King Caltrain station using air rights (the rights to develop over a piece of land or infrastructure) as a means to pay for both electrifying Caltrain and bringing high-speed rail into the Transbay Transit Center. This study assumed that the railyard would stay in its current location and that any new development would need to be built above the railyards. 14 JUNE 2013
Fortunately, a recent San Francisco Planning Department study took this idea to the next level. In its "4th and King Street Railyards: Final Summary Memo," the department explored two development scenarios for the site: one where the air rights above the railyard are developed while the railyard remains in use (which would require building above the railyard), and another where the railyard is relocated, allowing the entire site to be developed as a blank slate. The second scenario has two variations: one where only the railyard is moved , and another where the railyard is moved and 1-280 is replaced with a surface boulevard. This last scenario would provide the greatest benefits . It would allow for much better urban design, greater development capacity and greater opportunities for value recapture because the land would become more valuable when it is no
FIGURE 17
The redevelopment of the Caltrain railyard if the railyard were relocated and 1-280 were replaced with a surface boulevard This diagram of the development of the Caltram railyard from a recent planning department study shows development at grade, allow mg for the creation of a new linear park while also making the most of the replacement of 1-280 with a surface boulevard .
THE URBANIST
longer adjacent to freeway ramps. The planning department's study shows that the net potential value that could be created for the public sector ranges from $148 million all the way to $228 million if the railyard were moved and the Caltrain site redeveloped. In order to redevelop the railyards, the complex ownership of the site will need to be addressed. As the planning department memo points out, the underlying railyards are owned by Prologis/ Catellus, the entity that owns Mission Bay. However, Caltrain owns an easement to the railyards. This easement is only to construct and operate a railroad , not to undertake other types of development. Any future development on the railyards will need to substantially benefit rail infrastructure and Caltrain operations in order to incentivize Caltrain to alter its footprint to allow development on the site. THE URBANIST
Conclusion The three big moves discussed here have the potential for tremendous positive impact on many important San Francisco neighborhoods. While each can be completed independently of the other, the benefits are strongest when they are undertaken together. In order to move this vision to reality, many steps will need to be taken, including completing further study, determining Caltrain's post-electrification storage needs, engaging in community outreach and education, and determining what resources will be needed to make these changes. We hope that the City of San Francisco, with participation from regional partners and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), will take the first step and study the big moves outlined above. Studies should include a cost-benefit analysis of each step, as well as an analysis of what the impacts would be to projects that are already in advanced planning stages (such as Caltrain electrification and California high-speed rail). City staff estimate that the cost of completing these studies is roughly $2 million. We believe that this approach could be a regional and national model for how to use thoughtful development to retrofit past planning mistakes and pay for new infrastructure. We estimate that land value recapture from new development could cover a significant portion of the costs of the big infrastructure moves. Land value recapture won't work everywhere, but it is a strategy that could be used more broadly in American cities. San Francisco has the potential to bring all the pieces together neighborhood place-making, environmental sustainability and economic development - by rethinking its transportation infrastructure in the 1-280 corridor. â&#x20AC;˘
Boulevard Task Force
SPUR Staff
Hogan Edelberg, AECOM
Ratna Amin
Lisa Fisher, AECOM
Sarah Karlinsky
Gillian Gillett, San Francisco Mayor's Office
Tomiquia Moss
James Haig-Streeter. AECOM Jacinta Mccann, AECOM
A special thanks to AECOM and the San
Greg Riessen
Francisco Planning Department for their
Tetsuya Yaguchi, AECOM
help and support in this effort.
JUNE 2013 15
Over the last year, San Francisco has been showcased as the home of the World Series Champion Giants and the NFC Champion 49ers as well as dozens of Olympians who competed in the London Games. Momentum is building toward the 34th America's Cup, which San Francisco is hosting this summer. But the city is a great training ground for professional and recreational athletes alike. While many cities have great public playing fields, pools and recreation facilities, few have the hills, winds, views and natural features that make this city a great (and grueling) place to train and compete.
16 JUNE 2013
Mild weather allows for year-round outdoor training. Strong winds favor sailing, kitesurfing and windsurfing. Water and waves support kayaking, surfing and swimming for the brave and wetsuited. The hills - and the stairs built to navigate them provide challenging opportunities for interval training by bike or on foot. Using the city as an outdoor gym, recreational and competitive athletes experience San Francisco in a unique way. On Saturday mornings, I'm debating with myself whether to walk, bike, run or maybe check out that stand-up paddle board class I just heard about. Here are some heart-pumping locations for your next urban workout.
fl
In Glen Canyon Park, rock outcroppings challenge climbers and narrow trails bring out the inner mountain goat in runners. Keep an eye out for one of the park's resident coyotes.
Jean Eis berg is a planning consultant at Urban Planning Partners, Inc. and a former NCAA All-American athlete. Kurt Gross is a product designer in San Francisco.
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llJ
Neon Nikes? Check. Lululemons? Check. At the Lyon Street Steps, the people are as attractive as the flowers , and they will help motivate you to run one more set.
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B Expansive views greet cyclists on Twin Peaks. You can turn this into interval training, climbing up from Portola Drive and riding down toward Clarendon Avenue. Then repeat.
B
High winds, currents, vessel traffic and fog make San Francisco Bay off of Crissy Field a challenging place for both beginner and professional sailors.
D
It's competition day. After the swim and bike come the run on Baker Beach and Sisyphean climb up the Sand Ladder, two of the
reasons the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon is known as one of the toughest courses in the sport.
JUNE 2013
17
CITY NEWS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE
Urban Drift
Off the Grid 1' Channa Horwitz (1933-2013) had
been working with orange grid paper since the 1960s, using it as the underlying structure for incredibly lush and varied drawings driven by a highly systematic process. But as traditional as her medium was, her work, writes Sharon Mizota of the Los Angeles Times, "was also prescient, evoking the malleable spaces of digital animation, in which anything becomes possible within a highly regimented grid of pixels ."
Brooklyn Water Bagel Co. , on the other hand, is looking to replicate the Water's chemistry through a patented 14-step filtration process so it can deliver the perfection that is a New York bagel all over the country. The secret to New York 's water? A light touch: Had it not been for the exceptional past efforts of city officials to invest in their naturally filtered water supply, this prized ingredient wou ld have long been lost. http://grist.org/citles/new-york-citys-waterbrought-to-you-by-mother- nature/
"Channa Horwitz's Work Goes off the Grid," by
Driving Is Over
Sharon Mizota. Los Angeles Times, 5/9/13
U.S. Pl RG (the federation of Public Interest Research Groups) has released a new report called "The Driving Boom," announcing that a six-decade-long period of steady increases in per-capita driving in the United States is over. Americans today drive fewer total miles than they did eight years ago, says the report, and the unique combination of conditions that fueled the driving boom-
Nature's Triumphant Recipe for Water The common ingredient that
makes both New York's pizzas and its bagels irresistible? The city 's tap water. Eddie & Sam's Pizza in Tampa , Florida is so convinced that the restaurant transports 1,000 gallons of it from the Catskill springs that feeds NYC's reservoir.
18 JUNE 2013
from cheap gas prices to the rapid expansion of the workforce during the Baby Boom generation - no longer exists. Further, as others have reported the millennials see a future far less dependent on driving. So what to do in response to this paradigmatic shift? PIRG recommends that a new vision for transportation policy should revisit plans for new or expanded highways, refocus federal resources on key priorities (like infrastructure and expanded transit) and evaluate projects based on societal benefit. In sum, use transportation revenue where it makes the most sense. "A New Di rection: Our Changing Relationship with
· mere fact of hiring a pedestrian coordinator, is cause for optimism. "LA Pedest rian Coo rdinator. Pla ns to Get LA Walking," by Kath leen Miles. The Huffington Post.
10/31/12
Stories for Every Journey ,J,
Perfect for the global urbanist, Australian air carrier Qantas has released a series of 10 tailor-made works of fiction for its flights , each edited to fit neatly into the duration of a particular route. A lengthy trans-Pacific trip nets an odyssey-length work while something more bite-sized will accompany the odd hour-long domestic flight. https://www.prote.in/en/feed/2013/0 5/s toriesfor-every -journey •
Driving and the Implications for America's Future,'' www.uspirg.org/reports/usp/new-direction
•
These Streets Were Made for
I
Walking
"Nobody Walks in LA" may be the unofficial theme song of Los Angeles. but Margot Ocanas, just hired as the city's first-ever "pedestrian coordinator," plans to change that. Following the example of New York 's Janette Sadik-Kahn, she's embraced the temporary: In early 2012 she was a driving force (pun intended) behind LA's conversion of 11,000 square feet of street and parking spots into Polka Dot Plaza . In her newly created role , she plans to launch a " Streets for the People" project to make the city more pedestrian friendly ...no easy feat in a city where pedestrians count for about a third of all traffic fatalities. But the success of programs like CicLAvia (LA's version of SF's Sunday Streets) not to mPntion the
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Turning Granite Into Gold Today, Ws a distinctly urban community gathering spot, ideal for people watching while enjoying a French--pressed Cup of Rwanda Mwasa frqm Blue Bottle. But back in 1958, the Old Mint site was envisioned as something else entirely. The Mint became "old" when, in 1936, a "new" Mint was built at a new site at Hermann Street near Duboce Triangle. Meanwhile, the Old Mint site sat idle though it saw its share of development proposals including this one by modernist Mario Ciampi , designer of the Brutalist Berkeley Art Museum. His 1958 design envisioned a park encircled by new office buildings that would be known as "Gold Plaza ." Though Ciampi's design retained the columns of the Old Mint (also known as "The Granite Lady"), his proposal inspired one of San Francisco's first ever
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preservation campaigns and was never realized. The Old Mint was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1961. In 2003, the U.S. General Services Administration turned over the key to the Old Mint to the City of San Francisco. In 2007, the Board of Supervisors and the Mayor approved legislation to transform a 290'-long portion of Jessie Street stretching between
SAVE THE DATE!
Unbuilt San Francisco Exhibition Opening September 6, 5:00 - 9:00 pm Annie Alley, between 678 and 654 Mission Street, San Francisco
Fifth and Mint Streets into what we know today as Mint Plaza. You can see more unbuilt San Francisco this fall: SPUR, AIA San Francisco, Center for Architecture +Design , Environmental Design Archives at UC Berkeley, The California Historical Society and the San Francisco Public Library are pleased to present Unbuilt San Francisco, a collaborative exhibition on view from August - November 2013.
THE URBANIST
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WELCOME TO SPUR'S NEW MEMBERS!
INTRODUCING ...
New Faces at SPUR Christopher Axel Barrios SPUR 's Front Desk Ambassador Christopher Barrios graduated from the University of California , Berkeley with a bachelor of art's degree in society and environment and a minor in sustainable design. Christopher is interested in smart growth, with an emphasis on greater access to public transit systems and mi xed-use development. In the near future, he hopes to return to graduate school to pursue a master's degree in either city planning or landscape architecture.
Laura Hobbs Front Desk Ambassador, Laura Hobbs is a San Francisco native and an undergraduate at the University of Michigan , studying biology and Spanish. She hopes to bring her experience in a wide range of urban environments, coupled with a scientific understanding of biolog ical principles, to a future in sustainable urban development and research. Outside the classroom, Laura is involved with the Environmental Issues Commission, a sector of central student government, and the University of Michigan Bike Ambassadors program , which is currently working with the city of Ann Arbor to get more bike lanes on its streets.
Elisabeth Mart San Jose Public Programming Intern Elisabeth Mart completed her undergraduate work at the University of California , Berkeley in 2011 with degrees in political science and history. She received her master's in public history from Royal Holloway, University of London this past September. A bit of a political junkie, El isabeth hopes to soon make her name in the nonprofit world and has interned previously for Senator Dianne Feinstein, Mayor Gavin Newsom and the Commonwealth Club of California. THE URBANIST
New Busines Members HMC Architects Keyser Marston Associates, Inc. Red and White Fleet Veritable Vegetable
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Avi Asherov Richard Austin Greg Baker Jesse Biroscak Corey Block Jenna Browning Natalie Burdick Justin Chen Joanne Chiu Elizabeth Cortez Jon Dagostino Gregory Davies Lynette Dias Neil Dorrel Emily Eisenhart Aaron Fisher Rachel Flynn Kyle Gebhart Jonathan Ghio Melissa Godfrey Avra Goldman Anthony Gonzalez Kara Gross Jenna Hahn Deborah Harvey Robert Hrdinsky Minnie Ingersoll Stephanie Jansen Maeve Johnston Larry R. Kasten Dorka Keehn Amelie-Phaine Keller Lydia Kiesling Alexandru Lefter Joe Lewis Wan-Jou Lin Jody Littlehales Nikki Lowy Cindy Ma Janet MacKinnon Clay Malcolmson Noriko Marshall Michael McCabe Michael McDermott John Monson Ned Moran
Kirsten Muetzel Allison Myers Alissa Nelson Kristof Neukermans Lourdes Nicomedes Michael Nulty Anne Ording Alex Padilla Doris Padilla Michelle Parker Leslie Payne Alene Pearson Craig Peters Julie Quon Kris Rideout Jeremy Robinson Anmarie Rodgers Nicolas J. Rodrigues Eve Rossmere Rahmin Sarabi Madeleine Savit Emma Sharer Powen Shiah Marcia Sitcoske Kara Vuicich Renee Woodruff Jennifer Young Rachel Yu Franco Zaragoza
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MEMBER PROFILE
Wild About the City Tanya Peterson Lions, tigers and bears? They're all part of the urban experience for this animal-loving San Franciscan . Tanya Peterson, a lawyer at Hewlett-Packard, served on San Francisco Zoo's board of directors until she was asked to take on the role of director in 2008. " It was my children's passion for the institution that initially attracted me to the zoo," says Peterson, "and that's what continues to drive me to ensure its longevity." She describes the zoo as "firstly a preserve and a park ... and a unique way, in an urban environment, to connect with wildlife." She is currently overseeing a new master plan that envisions a zoological park that represents global conservation zones or "hot spots," which both educate and immerse visitors in diverse ecological zones. At the end of 2013, the zoo plans to open a zoological-themed, one-of-a-kind play zone that encourages children to play in and experience polar, Asian and other geographic "hot spots." And next year, says Peterson, "the zoo hopes to open a remodeled tropical forest in its South American region, which will house South American reptiles, birds and even a sloth!"
With all of these exciting things
How did you first become
How has the zoo been involved
So we can guess which city
happening at the zoo, we
interested in cities - and in
with one of SPUR's major
attraction you love most, but tell
asked Peterson to describe the
SPUR?
initiatives, the Ocean Beach
us, what is your favorite ... city?
institution's role in the city and
While at UC Hastings law school, I developed a deep fondness for San Francisco, which only increased over time. Later in my legal career, I had the honor of sitting on the city's Board of Appeals, which made me appreciate the delicate balance between urban growth and informed planning. It was then I first heard about SPUR as a unique and objective organization that recognized the very balance we were trying to achieve at the Board of Appeals.
Master Plan?
San Francisco, undoubtedly.
the community.
Zoos are often the first place people connect with wildlife. A zoo can ignite a lifelong passion for global conservation and renew a basic empathy toward animals. Zoos also are accessible and affordable to people of diverse social and economic backgrounds and are attended by multiple generations. It is one of the few places where three generations of a family can enjoy a day together!
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The San Francisco Zoo may be the only zoo in the country that borders an ocean, and our visitors are simultaneously amazed and disappointed by Ocean Beach and its current condition. I very much want to be part of an effort to revive this special coastal zone, and thus was eager to participate in SPUR's task force that is attempting to address long-term issues of erosion. conservation and public access while trying to maneuver through a tangled web of multiple jurisdictions and, at times, competing interests.
Urban view?
It is still a treat for me to head to the top of the Empire State Building . Favorite work of art about cities?
Richard Diebenkorn's Cityscape I at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. And, naturally, we can't resist asking: What is your favorite animal?
Zoo directors can't have favorites, although I do have a special fondness for hedgehogs.
THE URBANIST
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