Exemplary Remodelling: San Francisco
A Multi-Purpose Strip for Everyday Life
Market Street runs for five kilometers through the city of San Francisco. Its redesign marked a cultural shift in the repositioning of cycling in the Californian metropolis. Gehl Architects worked with the city to introduce two elements to create a “Better Market Street”: spacious, raised bike lanes incorporated into the pavement, and “street life zones,” areas dedicated to citizen engagement with public space, not just traffic. Gehl Architects identified different unifying elements to create a common identity that would, in turn, complement the characteristics of the six neighbourhoods bordering the street. Each of the distinct neighbourhood identities was expressed in the street life zones, the multi-purpose area between the kerb and the pavement. Since January 2020, Market Street has been permanently closed to private vehicle traffic — an eagerly awaited milestone.
The location
Yet, before the redevelopment, Market Street was perceived as busy and uninviting to not just move through but to spend time in.
Dividing up the street space
The spatial distribution of the street changes along its width to prioritise cyclists and pedestrians.
Breakthrough in 2019
In 2019, a new street design was approved by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. It featured the integration of “street life zones”, raised cycle lanes separated from traffic, a ban on private vehicles, and general improvements to the public space.
A changing program
The “street life zones” can vary in intensity at carefully selected points and are activated by new expressions of city life along the street.
Activating the street
Market Street runs for five kilometres directly through the city. Contrary to previous assumptions, the closure to private motorised traffic has not increased the volume of traffic in the adjacent streets.
Office
Gehl Architects is an urban planning and consulting firm with expertise in the areas of architecture, urban design, landscape architecture and urban planning. Founded by the Danish urban planner Jan Gehl and the architect Helle Søhol in 2000, the company now oversees urban development projects all over the world.
From left to right:
Anna Muessig, Blaine Merker, Jeff Rimson, Mayra Madritz from Gehl Architects
© Gehl
