Making a Better Market Street
Just about everyone who visits San Francisco's grand Market Street is awed by its hustle and bustle, the myriad modes of transportation, and some of the most beautiful architecture in the city. But just about everyone also agrees that Market Street has much bigger potential as a space that accommodates its users in more efficient and human terms. Parts of the street are in disrepair; whole blocks contain more boarded up facades than functioning businesses.
Streetfilms was able to talk to many advocates who would like to see a different configuration of Market Street -- folks who have already invested in making it better, and passersby who use it as a daily commuting option. It's fair to say not all ideas are universally accepted among all stakeholders, but hopefully their thoughts can serve as a springboard to a bigger discussion on what to do when Market Street is finally re-examined and re-paved.
Market Street is an excellent example of livable streets possibilities. One person in the video commented on what I think is an important part of the discussion: if there were more benches on Market Street, someone would probably be sleeping on them.
There's a large population of homeless people in the San Francisco Bay Area, along with a large population of wealthy people of all ages, and busloads of tourists. I would hope that any revitalization of Market Street would keep the homeless folks in mind as well as the people who are able to contribute more money to the San Francisco economy.
Great analysis of where we are today. Thanks Clarence. I hope this film will be viewed in the future as the zero point by which to measure the New San Francisco, less dependent on cars and more people friendly.
Not just for daily users and locals, what we do to tourists who stumble out of the Powell Street BART station makes me want to cry. It is not up to the standards one would expect of an international tourist destination. UN Plaza remains an insult to the institution founded here.
Will NYC beat us to the punch with their Times Square project?
The race is on.
Clarence,
This film nicely captures all the chaos and potential of street. I like how you interviewed people of many different viewpoints. One of the best Streetfilms yet.
Man, those brick sidewalks look gigantic.
This was really interesting because there are obviously a lot of different groups and people invested in this sort of discussion and change in San Francisco already.
I would be interested in finding out what local businesses and business associations are doing (or not doing) to make the situation better for themselves.
new yorks time square project is launching this memorial day - so i know we'll win the race
but i would love to see some improvement here. why not restrict auto use to delivery vehicles and buses only. europe has buses that can photograph cars that illegally drive in bus lanes. On a street with no room for personal auto use this technology could help improve the encouragement of mass transit over driving alone.