San Francisco Planning Department

INTRODUCTION

Nature and Purpose

The Urban Design Element concerns the physical character and order of the city, and the relationship between people and their environment.

San Francisco's environment is magnificent, and the city is a great city, but the unique relationships of natural setting and man's past creations are extremely fragile. There are constant pressures for change, some for growth, some for decay.

The Urban Design Element is concerned both with development and with preservation. It is a concerted effort to recognize the positive attributes of the city, to enhance and conserve those attributes, and to improve the living environment where it is less than satisfactory. The Plan is a definition of quality, a definition based upon human needs.

This is a general plan, responding to issues relating to City Pattern, Conservation, Major New Development, and Neighborhood Environment. In the case of each of these four types of issues, the Element contains:

1. A review and definition of essential human needs;
   
   
2. An overall objective toward which both public and private efforts must be directed if the human needs are to be met and San Francisco's special characteristics are to be recognized, enhanced and conserved;
   
   
3. Fundamental principles, with graphic illustrations, reflecting the needs and characteristics with which the Plan is concerned, and describing the measurable and critical design relationships among parts of the environment such as open spaces, buildings, hills and streets; and
   
   
4. A series of policies necessary to achieve or approach the overall objective, which acknowledge the needs and principles, and which provide a continuing guide and directive for public and private decisions pursuant to this Element.

CITY PATTERN

Human Needs

The agreeable pattern of San Francisco's appearance is, perhaps above all, what makes this a city with feeling. The pattern is a visual framework composed of the natural base upon which the city rests, together with man's development. In some ways the pattern is seen in two dimensions as though it were a map; in other ways it has a sculptural or three-dimensional form.

To describe the pattern is not to describe a rigid order, for rigidity will not produce a city meant for human needs. Rather than rigidity, the sense is one of balance and compatibility, with diverse and even random features fitting together to form the whole. The pattern is made up of:

WATER, the Bay and Ocean, which are boundaries for the city and a part of its climate and way of life. The water is open space, a focus of major views and a place of human activity.

HILLS AND RIDGES, which allow the city to be seen, define districts, and more than any other feature produce the variety that is characteristic of San Francisco. The central mass of Twin Peaks separates the city into quadrants, for example, while Telegraph Hill, Sunset Heights and Potrero Hill are neighborhoods. In the topographic form of the city, the valleys and plains are as important as the hills, for they define their own districts and give the hills their visual meaning.

OPEN SPACES AND LANDSCAPED AREAS, whose dark green patterns enrich the color of the city and define and identify hills, districts and places for recreation. These areas may be large, as at the Presidio, Lake Merced and Golden Gate Park, smaller but still prominent as at Bayview Hill and Alta Plaza, or mixed with buildings as on the slopes of Russian Hill and Buena Vista.

STREETS AND ROADWAYS, which unify the pattern, emphasize the hills and valleys, provide vistas and open space and determine the character of development. Streets and roadways are of many types, each with its own functions and characteristics, and together they make up a system that accommodates man's movements and joins the districts of the city.

BUILDINGS AND STRUCTURES and clusters of them, which reflect the character of districts and centers for activity, provide reference points for human orientation, and may add to (but can detract from) topography and views. Some buildings and structures, such as the Golden Gate and Bay Bridges, Coit Tower, the Palace of Fine Arts and City College, stand out as single features of community importance, while elsewhere the dominant pattern of man's development is a light-toned texture of separate shapes blended and articulated over the landscape.

People perceive this pattern from many places and during many activities; from their homes and neighborhoods, from parks and the shoreline during recreation, from places of work, from the streets while traveling, and from entranceways and observation points while visiting the city.

The uses and benefits of the city pattern are many and profound. This pattern is, first of all, bound up in the image and character of the city. To weaken or destroy the pattern would make San Francisco a vastly different place.

Second, the city pattern has important psychological effects upon residents of the city. It provides organization and measured relationships that give a sense of place and purpose and reduce the degree of stress in urban life. Outlooks upon a pleasant and varied pattern provide for an extension of individual consciousness and personality, and give a comforting sense of living with the environment.

The pattern also helps people to identify districts and neighborhoods, particularly those in which they themselves live. Recognition of such areas by their prominent features, their edges and their centers for activity breaks up a large and intense city into units that are visually and psychologically manageable. Furthermore, awareness of districts and neighborhoods increases the pride in one's area and in one's own life.

People also have a need to understand their city, its logic and its means of cohesion. They need to know where to find activities, and how to reach their destinations in shopping areas, downtown, at institutions and at places of entertainment and recreation. The city pattern helps them find their way, without inconvenience or lost time, letting them see the routes to be taken. Travel congestion is reduced if the best routes are easily found, and safety is increased.

Two of the controllable elements that help strengthen the city pattern are visually prominent landscaping and street lighting. Because these elements can be so easily affected in a positive way by human actions, and especially by programs of the City government, they are given important attention in the policies of this Element. Opportunities for use of these elements are by no means fully realized now, and systems for landscaping and lighting are incomplete. As a consequence, parts of the city pattern that otherwise would be easily read are unclear, and the functions of the street system are apt to be confused both by day and at night. In addition, some areas of the city are favored by the amenities produced by good landscaping and lighting systems while others are not.

The human needs outlined above for the city pattern are further addressed by the fundamental principles that follow, and by the policies that conclude this section of The Urban Design Element. In certain ways they are addressed, as well, in the other three sections of the Element: by policies dealing with conservation of resources that are part of the city pattern; policies for moderation of major new development to enhance rather than detract from the city pattern; and policies to make the pattern more perceptible in the neighborhood environment. Such an interchange of needs and policies occurs throughout the sections of the Element, for the Element is a unified document and its sections are closely related.

OBJECTIVE

OBJECTIVE 1
EMPHASIS OF THE CHARACTERISTIC PATTERN WHICH GIVES TO THE CITY AND ITS NEIGHBORHOODS AN IMAGE, A SENSE OF PURPOSE, AND A MEANS OF ORIENTATION.

San Francisco has an image and character in its city pattern which depend especially upon views, topography, streets, building form and major landscaping. This pattern gives an organization and sense of purpose to the city, denotes the extent and special nature of districts, and identifies and makes prominent the centers of human activity. The pattern also assists in orientation for travel on foot, by automobile and by public transportation. The city pattern should be recognized, protected and enhanced.

Principles for City Pattern These fundamental principles and their illustrations reflect the needs and characteristics with which this plan is concerned, and describe measurable and critical urban design relationships in the city pattern.
1.	The city's overall visual structure can be strengthened and enhanced by use of large-scale planting on certain streets and open spaces.
2.	Street layouts and building forms which do not emphasize topography reduce the clarity of the city form and image. A: Tall, slender buildings at the tops of hills and low buildings on the slopes and in valleys accentuate the form of the hills. B: Contour streets on hills align buildings to create a pattern of strong horizontal bands that conflict with the hill form.
3.	Clearly visible open spaces act as orientation points, and convey information about the presence of recreation space to motorists and pedestrians.COMMENT: Because Buena Vista Park is visible from many parts of the city, it is often used as a point of reference. The foliage, in contrast to the surrounding developed areas, indicates the proximity of recreational means.
4.	Where large parks occur at tops of hills, lowrise buildings surrounding them will preserve views from the park and maintain visibility of the park from other areas of the city.COMMENT: Areas around Mount Davidson and Twin Peaks have a pattern of low development. The hilltops are therefore citywide focal points of natural landscape, functioning much as Telegraph Hill's summit does in the North Beach area.
5.	Street spaces impart a unifying rhythm to the pattern and image of the city.
6.	Landscaped pathways can visually and functionally link larger open spaces to neighborhoods. COMMENT: The roadside planting of Park Presidio and Sunset Boulevard, and the landscape connections between Mount Sutro, Twin Peaks, Laguna Honda and Glen Canyon are examples of a system that links parks and other open spaces to one another. Such linkages, creating strong defining features, can be extended to other parts of the city.
7.	The pattern of major streets can be made more visible and apparent to users of the street system if the landscaping and lighting of major streets is different from that of local streets. A: The consistent use of one type of tree, planted in regular intervals, can impart a sense of order and continuity appropriate to major through streets. B: Informal, diverse patterns of planting and varieties of plant materials can act as an appropriate indication of local residential streets. C: The difference between through and local streets can be made clearer by varying the apparent brightness, spread and color of light, as well as the height, spacing, and scale of street fixtures. MAJOR THROUGH STREETS: Intense light, sidewalk and walls well-illuminated, blue-white light, paired spacing of high light standards. COLLECTOR STREETS: Well-lighted streets and sidewalks, color-corrected (white) light, alternate spacing of Intermediate height light standards. LOCAL STREETS: Low glare, warm color light, alternate spacing of low height light standards. IMPORTANT INTERSECTIONS: More intense light focussed upon intersections and crosswalks.
8.	Large-scale or extensive planting on major roadways that define areas of the city can enhance the importance of the roadways as both thoroughfares and visual boundaries. COMMENT: The extensive landscaping along the James Lick Freeway at Potrero Hill is one example. Other "boundaries" such as Nineteenth Avenue, Ocean Avenue and Monterey Boulevard could be made clearer by such planting.
9.	Special lighting fixtures and quality of light can enhance the identity of districts, distinctive areas, and important shopping streets.
10.	Views from roadways that reveal major destinations or that provide overlooks of important routes and areas of the city assist the traveler in orientation. COMMENT: Traveling north along San Jose Avenue, the driver's position and direction are confirmed by the view of downtown across the Mission District.
11.	Arterial routes can be clarified by screening unattractive or distracting elements with landscaping when such elements cannot be removed. Natural foliage can soften and modify the effect of extensive retaining walls, large bleak surfaces or unattractive views. The terraced retaining wall along the east side of Potrero Hill is an example of such landscaping.
12.	Open spaces with direct views down streets have a greater sense of spaciousness and can be seen more easily from a distance. A: Hilltop open space larger than a block provides views down abutting streets. B: Hilltop open space occupying a single block and surrounded by buildings provides views only from its edges, obliquely down streets. C: Smaller open space on a hill occupying the street right-of-way provides direct views down the street.
13.	Hilltop roads and open spaces provide panoramic views of adjacent buildings are far enough below the viewpoint.
14.	Highly visible open space presents a refreshing contrast to extensive urban development.
15.	Strong and organized development adjacent to parks creates an effective contrast and makes the street space between the two a pleasing space to be in. Weak and disorganized development adjacent to parks neither complements nor effectively contrasts with the park edge.
16.	Certain streets, because of unusual width or direction, are important form elements in themselves, giving identity to districts and order to the city structure. COMMENT: Columbus Avenue and Market Street are examples of such streets. Any major interruptions of these streets would reduce their value as form elements.
17.	Wide streets with low and/or scattered buildings are poorly defined and do not contribute to an orderly city pattern and image.
18.	Green space closing a street provides an accent on an upper slope or top of hill.
19.	Uninterrupted grid streets in flat areas often result in monotonous vistas. Closure formed by planting contains the street space, creating a more comfortable environment.
20.	The width of intersecting streets, the information displayed on street signs, and the type and location of traffic control elements can indicate the function and relative importance of streets. COMMENT: These diagrams illustrate how the relative importance of streets can be expressed at intersections. For some intersection conditions different arrangements of curb alignment, control devices or information may be required.
21.	Transit routes, stops and transfer points can be more easily understood and remembered if they are distinctively identified by signs, landscaping and illumination. A: Attractive, easily seen symbols at bus stops that indicate the type of service and the route can facilitate use of the transit system. B: The importance of transfer points can be expressed by the amount and type of landscaping, provision of shelters for waiting passengers, and nighttime lighting.

Image and Character

POLICY 1.1
Recognize and protect major views in the city, with particular attention to those of open space and water.

Views contribute immeasurably to the quality of the city and to the lives of its residents. Protection should be given to major views whenever it is feasible, with special attention to the characteristic views of open space and water that reflect the natural setting of the city and give a colorful and refreshing contrast to man's development.

Overlooks and other viewpoints for appreciation of the city and its environs should be protected and supplemented, by limitation of buildings and other obstructions where necessary and by establishment of new viewpoints at key locations.

Visibility of open spaces, especially those on hilltops, should be maintained and improved, in order to enhance the overall form of the city, contribute to the distinctiveness of districts and permit easy identification of recreational resources. The landscaping at such locations also provides a pleasant focus for views along streets.

POLICY 1.2
Recognize, protect and reinforce the existing street pattern, especially as it is related to topography.

Streets are a stable and unifying component of the city pattern. Changes in the street system that would significantly alter this pattern should be made only after due consideration for their effects upon the environment. Such changes should not counteract the established rhythm of the streets with respect to topography, or break the grid system without compensating advantages.

The width of streets should be considered in determining the type and size of building development, so as to provide enclosing street facades and complement the nature of the street. Streets and development bordering open spaces are especially important with respect to the strength and order in their design. Where setbacks establish facade lines that form an important component of a street's visual character, new and remodeled buildings should maintain the existing facade lines.

Streets cutting across the normal grid pattern produce unusual and often beneficial design relationships that should not be weakened or interrupted in building development. Special consideration should be given to the quality of buildings and other features closing major vistas at the ends of these and other streets.

POLICY 1.3
Recognize that buildings, when seen together, produce a total effect that characterizes the city and its districts.

Buildings, which collectively contribute to the characteristic pattern of the city, are the greatest variable because they are most easily altered by man. Therefore, the relationships of building forms to one another and to other elements of the city pattern should be moderated so that the effects will be complementary and harmonious.

The general pattern of buildings should emphasize the topographic form of the city and the importance of centers of activity. It should also help to define street areas and other public open spaces. Individual buildings and other structures should stand out prominently in the city pattern only in exceptional circumstances, where they signify the presence of important community facilities and occupy visual focal points that benefit from buildings and structures of such design.

The form of buildings is covered in greater detail in this Plan under the section on Major New Development.

POLICY 1.4
Protect and promote large-scale landscaping and open space that define districts and topography.

Open spaces provide a unifying and often continuous framework across the city. These open spaces are most prominent when they occur on hills and ridges and when they contain large trees and other large-scale masses of landscaping. Future landscaping efforts, both public and private, should be directed toward preservation of existing trees and other planting that contribute to this framework, and toward addition of large-scale landscaping that will add to and fill out the framework.

Where open spaces of any kind can be made more prominent by addition of new or large-scale landscaping, such additions should be made in order to enhance the city pattern and make the open spaces more visible in nearby neighborhoods. New building development should respect existing landscaping and avoid displacing or obscuring it. In the event that such landscaping must be displaced or obscured, a strong effort should be made to replace it with new landscaping of equal or greater prominence.

Organization and Sense of Purpose

POLICY 1.5
Emphasize the special nature of each district through distinctive landscaping and other features.

The design of improvements for street areas, and to some extent for private properties as well, should capitalize on opportunities to emphasize the distinctive nature of districts and neighborhoods.

Street landscaping, in particular, can be selected and designed according to a special theme for each area, providing a sense of place in addition to its other amenities. Planting for public open spaces and on private properties can be carried out in the same way, taking account of established themes and the differences in climate among districts. Distinctiveness can also be imparted by preservation and highlighting of architectural features common to the area, and the use of special materials and colors in buildings.

POLICY 1.6
Make centers of activity more prominent through design of street features and by other means.

Shopping streets and other centers for activity and congregation of people should stand out in an attractive manner in their districts. Some such centers, in appropriate cases, will have buildings larger than those in the surrounding area, while others will be set off only by their distinctive design treatment.

Street landscaping of a type and size appropriate to the area should be used, as well as lighting that identifies the area through special fixtures and quality of light. Sidewalk treatment should be coordinated, with distinctive paving, benches and other elements suitable to the needs and desires of merchants, shoppers and other people using the area. Building facades and the total composition of the activity center should be designed to make clear the geographical extent of the center and its relationship to the district.

POLICY 1.7
Recognize the natural boundaries of districts, and promote connections between districts.

Visually prominent features such as hills, roadways and large groves of trees often identify the edges of districts and neighborhoods. Although these features should not be regarded as barriers to movement from one area to another, they do have the advantage of creating an awareness of districts and neighborhoods within the total city pattern.

The positive effects of natural district boundaries should be emphasized in decisions affecting visually prominent features such as new roadways and large-scale landscaping. At the same time these same types of features can be useful links between districts, and between parks and other public and semi-public facilities. Connections between districts and facilities should be improved, with special attention to the possibilities for landscaped pathways that will provide an alternative to the street system in movement about the city.

Orientation for Travel

POLICY 1.8
Increase the visibility of major destination areas and other points for orientation.

In travel about the city, the ability to see one's destination and other points of orientation is an important product of the city pattern. Such an ability should be fostered in public and private development.

The design of streets, the determination of street use and the control of land uses and building types along streets should all be carried out with the visibility of such orienting features taken into account. Views from streets and other public areas should be preserved, created and improved where they include the water, open spaces, large buildings and other major features of the city pattern. Entranceways to the city and to districts are of special concern in this respect, as are lateral and downhill views that show a panorama or corridor with prominent features.

POLICY 1.9
Increase the clarity of routes for travelers.

Many types of improvements can be made in street areas and in their surroundings to provide greater clarity and increase the ease of travel. Once such improvements have been made, adequate maintenance of them is of equal importance.

Among the least difficult actions would be development of a better system of identifying and directional signs, through improvement of verbal messages, symbols, graphic design and sign placement.

Although trafficway signs should be improved, the purpose and direction of traffic channels should also be made as clear as possible through design of the channels themselves. The roadway should be consistent in width and materials, with channels separated by islands and dividers where possible and changes of direction made distinct. At intersections, the differences in importance and function of the intersecting streets should be made visually clear by differences in roadway width, landscaping and lighting. The number of streets intersecting at one point should be minimized, and signs and traffic control devices should be adequate to indicate the movements permitted in all traffic lanes.

The roadway environment should be simplified and made attractive through screening of distracting and unsightly elements by landscaping, walls and buildings. The clutter of wires, signs and disordered development should be reduced. Conflict between unnecessary private signs and street directional signs should be avoided.

Clarity of routes is of similar importance for transit riders. Legible and frequent trafficway signs and an ordered roadway environment will assist these riders. Other improvements should be made in the vicinity of transit stops: these include wider sidewalks, landscaping, lighting and waiting shelters to help identify the stops, and better signs at stops and on vehicles to explain routes, types and frequency of service, and transfer points.

POLICY 1.10
Indicate the purposes of streets by means of a citywide plan for street landscaping.

Orientation for travel is most effectively provided where there is a citywide system of streets with established purposes: major through streets that carry traffic for considerable distances between districts, local streets that serve only the adjacent properties, and other streets with other types of assigned functions. Once the purposes of streets have been established, the design of street features should help to express those purposes and make the whole system understandable to the traveler.

One type of feature that can be readily adjusted to the street system is landscaping. Accordingly, a plan should be put into effect for street landscaping that indicates the relative importance of streets by the degree of formality of tree planting and the species and size of the trees. In addition to differences in traffic-carrying functions, the plan recognizes the width and visual importance of certain streets, the special nature of various activity areas, and the need for screening or buffering of residential uses along streets carrying heavy traffic. Special consideration is also required for major intersections, and for important views that should not be blocked by landscaping.

POLICY 1.11
Indicate the purposes of streets by means of a citywide plan for street lighting.

The same considerations that apply to street landscaping under Policy 10 apply to street lighting as well. A plan similar to that for landscaping should therefore be carried out with respect to lighting, with the design and placement of lighting fixtures and the type of illumination determined by street type and other relevant factors.

CONSERVATION

Human Needs

In the intensely urban environment of San Francisco, there are things that have not changed. These features provide people with a feeling of continuity over time, and with a sense of relief from the crowding and stress of city life and modern times. As the city grows, the keeping of that which is old and irreplaceable may be as much a measure of human achievement as the building of the new. Certainly, the old should not be replaced unless what is new is better.

Natural areas are one such irreplaceable resource. Few examples remain of the original sand dunes, hills, cliffs and beaches that once characterized the peninsula, and fewer still are the examples of natural ecology. Reduction of such areas by development has continued until recent time, and the city can be seen to have reached an irreducible minimum if it is to keep a sense of unspoiled nature for future generations.

The natural areas answer human needs for rest, quiet, escape from the city's pace and freedom from confinement. They provide places to view the city from afar, but just as often they can turn the viewer's attention to the secluded interior of the area or to the expanses of the Ocean or the Bay.

The Bay is itself a resource of nature, although it has been encroached upon by filling and by barriers that prevent access to much of its present shoreline. Hardly any of the original shoreline remains, but the water of the Bay is still a natural area that can be seen and used by the city's residents as an important part of their lives.

The parks and other open spaces developed by man are also resources that change little over time. These areas often approach a natural state, and even as pure open space they would have value for recreation and relief from city congestion. Creation of substantial new open space is both financially and physically difficult, and therefore existing open space has even greater public value as time goes on.

Older buildings, too, lend a sense of permanence and pleasant contrast. They are links with past history, and with earlier styles of development and of living. Buildings that endure maintain a continuous culture and may set standards of excellence with which contemporary development can be compared. In some cases certain buildings may be identified with specific people or events or with great architects. Such buildings are resources for education, recreation and other human enjoyment.

Historic buildings, and in fact nearly all older buildings regardless of their historic affiliations, provide a richness of character, texture and human scale that is unlikely to be repeated often in new development. They help characterize many neighborhoods of the city, and establish landmarks and focal points that contribute to the city pattern.

The work of San Francisco's Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board has been notable as a dedicated effort to gain recognition for the city's heritage of older buildings. A number of landmarks have been designated, but many others are threatened and even those designated will not be permanently retained without the cooperation of their owners. Of equal importance to the designation of individual buildings is the recognition and protection of whole block frontages and areas that exemplify early architectural styles and a high quality of design character. The retention of many of the traditions of San Francisco is dependent upon an expansion of preservation efforts in the future.

There are other developed areas which, though they may not contain individual buildings that are historic or otherwise outstanding, have a special character worthy of preservation. These areas have an unusually fortunate relationship of building scale, landscaping, topography and other attributes that makes them indispensable to San Francisco's image. Threats to the character of these areas are sure to be met with intense concern by their own residents and by the public at large.

The city's streets are a further resource to be conserved. Their value is not merely in the carrying of traffic. Streets are important in perception of the city pattern, since they make visible the city's outstanding features and its points of orientation. Streets also help regulate the organization and scale of building development, spacing out buildings and giving continuity to their facades.

Good views are another product of the street system. A majority of the city's streets may be said to have pleasing views of the Bay, the Ocean, distant hills or other parts of the city. Where good views are not available, streets can still function as open space for use by neighborhood residents and for landscaping to bring some sense of nature to the area.

Where the intensity of development is high, streets may even be necessary to maintain decent levels of light and air for residents and for pedestrians. In these areas, streets are the "breathing space" that permits buildings to reach high density on private properties. In other functions, streets also carry a complex of utility lines and provide access for truck deliveries and police and fire protection.

With this great variety of public values in the street system, it is necessary that clear policies be established to determine when streets must be retained in their present state, and when, under exceptional circumstances, street areas may be released for other uses consistent with the public interest.

OBJECTIVE 2
CONSERVATION OF RESOURCES WHICH PROVIDE A SENSE OF NATURE, CONTINUITY WITH THE PAST, AND FREEDOM FROM OVERCROWDING.

If San Francisco is to retain its charm and human proportion, certain irreplaceable resources must not be lost or diminished. Natural areas must be kept undeveloped for the enjoyment of future generations. Past development, as represented both by distinctive buildings and by areas of established character, must be preserved. Street space must be retained as valuable public open space in the tight-knit fabric of the city.

Fundamental Principles for Conservation These fundamental principles and their illustrations reflect the needs and characteristics with which this Plan is concerned, and describe measurable and critical urban design relationships for conservation.
1.	Natural areas and features such as sand dunes, cliffs, hills and beaches--particularly where a relatively undisturbed natural ecology exists--are irreplaceable and of special public value and benefit within an intensely developed city. A: The function and beauty of natural areas aresignificantly diminished by the intrusion of trafficways, parking lots and buildings. These facilities detract less when located in areas that have already been built upon or otherwise developed. B: Development for human activity within these areas,such as pathways and service buildings, must be carefully located and designed if it is not to damage the natural landscape. C: The value of natural areas can be diminished by views of buildings, parking lots and trafficways in adjacent areas.
2.	New development can enhance and preserve SanFrancisco's distinctive qualities if it is designed with consideration for the prevailing design character and the effect on surroundings.
3.	External details in building facades, entries, stairways, retaining walls and other features provide visual interest and enrichment and are consistent with the historic scale and texture of San Francisco. A: Richly detailed facades enhance the character of the street by giving it greater visual variety. Such detail often reduces building facades and textures to a more human scale and makes the street a more pleasant place to be. B: Even blank walls may possess visual interest if they are textured and scaled.
4.	To conserve important design character in historic or distinctive older areas, some uniformity of detail, scale, proportion, texture, materials, color and building form is necessary. A: Large buildings impair the character of older, small scale areas if no transition is made between small-scale and large-scale elements. B: New blank facades introduced into areas of older, more detailed buildings detract from neighborhood character. C: New buildings using textured materials with human scaled proportions are less intrusive in older areas characterized by fine details and scale. D: Visually strong buildings which contrast severely with their surroundings impair the character of the area.
5.	Preservation of San Francisco's strong and continuous downtown street facades will insure maintenance of that area's distinctive character and spatial quality. A consistent commercial facade on neighborhood shopping streets will give definition to these areas and promote activity.
6.	New construction can have a positive effect on the area around it if it reflects the character of adjacent older buildings of architectural merit.
7.	Renovation and restoration of older, well-designedbuildings can preserve the character and interest of the streetscape if the original building design is respected in use of materials and details. On commercial buildings, signs that fit within the architectural order of the facade do not obscure or damage the building's integrity. COMMENT: Renovation of the old White House building includes signs that fit the building's facade. The architectural order of the Lincoln Building is almost totally obscured by signs.
8.	Historic buildings represent crucial links with past events and architectural styles and, when preserved, afford educational, recreational, cultural and other benefits. A: Historic buildings often serve as landmarks and focal points for interest, or orientation and add to a neighborhood's visual image. B: Relatively homogeneous groupings of buildings of architectural and historic merit, such as in Jackson Square, are especially rare and irreplaceable.
9.	Historic buildings and grounds often provide necessary visual open space or passive recreation areas. Open space in the city can be supplemented by enhancing the semi-recreational functions of historic areas.Historic buildings and grounds open to the public can function as a recreational resource.
10.	Preservation of some older, low and small-scaled buildings and grounds amidst larger building towers will help conserve unique cityscape character, maintain a sense of openness and green space, and produce a more livable environment.
11.	Building of parking garages under parks can seriously lessen their natural qualities when the access ramps, air vent and elevator structures and other changes in the park's surface intrude upon the landscape.
12.	Street space provides an important form of public open space, especially in areas of high density that are deficient in other amenities. COMMENT: Alleys and streets in Chinatown and in the Mission district often serve as recreation places. Building in the street would remove this important resource.
13.	Street space provides light, air, space for utilities and access to property. COMMENT (a): Building development in or over street spaces can reduce light and air. COMMENT (b): Alleys and small street spaces are often one of the few means for trucks and other service vehicles to stop out of the main stream of traffic. Vacation of them could add to the congestion of other city streets.
14.	Street space services as a means to control and regulatethe scale and organization of the future development by: a. protecting against the accumulation of overly large parcels of property under single ownership on which massive buildings could be constructed; and b. indirectly controlling the visual scale and density of development, as well as maintaining continuity of facades. COMMENT: Once vacated, a street space could be built upon to allowable densities. In some critical areas of the city, the addition of dwelling units or floor space on vacated street areas might be acutely felt.
15.	Traditional street patterns and spaces can often be essential to maintaining an appropriate setting for historical and architectural landmarks or areas. COMMENT: Development in the street space abutting historic buildings would destroy the setting.
16.	Views from streets can provide a means for orientation and help the observer to perceive the city and its districts more clearly.
17.	Blocking, construction or other impairment of pleasing street views of the Bay or Ocean, distant hills, or other parts of the city can destroy an important characteristic of the unique setting and quality of the city.

Natural Areas

POLICY 2.1
Preserve in their natural state the few remaining areas that have not been developed by man.

Natural areas in the city that remain in their original state are irreplaceable and must not be further diminished. Significant development should not take place in these areas, and facilities necessary to aid in human enjoyment of them should not disturb their visual feeling or natural ecology. Accordingly, parking lots and service buildings should be confined to areas that are already developed, and access pathways should be designed to have a minimum effect upon the natural environment. Where possible, the interior of these natural areas should be out of sight of the developed city.

Lands in public ownership, primarily those of the City and Federal governments, constitute the bulk of these natural areas. Coordinated programs for conservation of both land features and ecology should be carried out, with high priority given to such management functions. Where natural areas are in private ownership, either special incentives or public acquisition should be used to assure a similar degree of preservation.

POLICY 2.2
Limit improvements in other open spaces having an established sense of nature to those that are necessary, and unlikely to detract from the primary values of the open space.

The recreation and open space values of parks and other open and landscaped areas developed by man ought not to be reduced by unrelated or unnecessary construction. These resources are not expected to be increased substantially in future time, whereas the public need for them will surely grow.

Facilities placed in these areas should be of a public nature and should add to rather than decrease their recreation and open space values. Facilities that can be accommodated outside of established parks and open spaces should be placed at other appropriate locations. Where new facilities are necessary in these parks and open spaces, they should be sited in areas that are already partially developed in preference to areas with a greater sense of nature.

Through traffic, parking lots and major buildings should be kept out of established parks and open spaces where they would be detrimental to recreation and open space values. Parking garages and other facilities should not be placed beneath the surface in these areas unless the surface will retain its original contours and natural appearance. Realignment of existing trafficways in these areas should avoid destruction of natural features and should respect the natural topography with a minimum of cutting and filling. The net effect of any changes in parks and open spaces should be to enhance their visual qualities and beneficial public use.

POLICY 2.3
Avoid encroachments on San Francisco Bay that would be inconsistent with the Bay Plan or the needs of the city's residents.

The filling of San Francisco Bay over more than a century has already reduced the size of the Bay and the quality and extent of its natural shoreline below acceptable limits. Further filling and replacement of filled areas should be severely limited to cases in which there are strong public purposes to be served and clear opportunities for increased public use and enjoyment of the Bay and its shoreline. These basic policies have been established on a regional basis by the San Francisco Bay Plan.

Development on the Bay shoreline should be related both to the water of the Bay and to the uses and activities that occur inland. Specific plans for sectors of the shoreline adopted by the City should govern the urban design aspects of detailed development, and should emphasize access to the Bay by the city's residents.

Access to the Bay should be considered as a total system in which a maximum of communication with the water is made possible consistent with other shoreline uses. Access includes physical contact with the water and the shore at recreation areas, and it also includes visual contact through views of the water and of water-related activities. The system of access requires careful review of development and land use at the water's edge, and similar review of projects further inland that will affect physical and visual contact with the water.

Richness of Past Development

POLICY 2.4
Preserve notable landmarks and areas of historic, architectural or aesthetic value, and promote the preservation of other buildings and features that provide continuity with past development.

Older buildings that have significant historical associations, distinctive design or characteristics exemplifying the best in past styles of development should be permanently preserved. The efforts of the Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board should be supported and strengthened, and a continuing search should be made for new means to make landmarks preservation practical both physically and financially.

Criteria for judgment of historic value and design excellence should be more fully developed, with attention both to individual buildings and to areas or districts. Efforts for preservation of the character of these landmarks should extend to their surroundings as well. Preservation measures should not, however, be entirely bound by hard-and-fast rules and labels, since to some degree all older structures of merit are worthy of preservation and public attention. Therefore, various kinds and degrees of recognition are required, and the success of the preservation program will depend upon the broad interest and involvement of property owners, improvement associations and the public at large.

POLICY 2.5
Use care in remodeling of older buildings, in order to enhance rather than weaken the original character of such buildings.

Although the Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board and other agencies have certain powers relative to the exterior remodeling of designated landmarks, the problem of detrimental remodelings is far broader. The character and style of older buildings of all types and degrees of merit can be needlessly hidden and diminished by misguided improvements. Architectural advice, and where necessary and feasible the assistance of public programs, should be sought in order to assure than the richness of the original design and its materials and details will be restored Care in remodelings should be exercised in both residential and commercial areas. Along commercial streets, the signs placed on building facades must be in keeping with the style and scale of the buildings and street, and must not interfere with architectural lines and details. Compatible signs require the skills of architects and graphics designers. In commercial areas as well as residential neighborhoods, the interest and participation of property owners and occupants should be enlisted in these efforts to retain and improve design quality.

POLICY 2.6
Respect the character of older development nearby in the design of new buildings.

Similar care should be exercised in the design of new buildings to be constructed near historic landmarks and in older areas of established character. The new and old can stand next to one another with pleasing effects, but only if there is a similarity or successful transition in scale, building form and proportion. The detail, texture, color and materials of the old should be repeated or complemented by the new.

Often, as in the downtown area and many district centers, existing buildings provide strong facades that give continuous enclosure to the street space or to public plazas. This established character should also be respected. In some cases, formal height limits and other building controls may be required to assure that prevailing heights or building lines or the dominance of certain buildings and features will not be broken by new construction.

POLICY 2.7
Recognize and protect outstanding and unique areas that contribute in an extraordinary degree to San Francisco's visual form and character.

All areas of San Francisco contribute in some degree to the visual form and image of the city. All require recognition and protection of their significant positive assets. Some areas may be more fortunately endowed than others, however, with unique characteristics for which the city is famous in the world at large. Where areas are so outstanding, they ought to be specially recognized in urban design planning and protected, if the need arises, from inconsistent new development that might upset their unique character.

These areas do not have buildings of uniform age and distinction, or individual features that can be readily singled out for preservation. It is the combination and eloquent interplay of buildings, landscaping, topography and other attributes that makes them outstanding. For that reason, special review of building proposals may be required to assure consistency with the basic character and scale of the area. Furthermore, the participation of neighborhood associations in these areas in a cooperative effort to maintain the established character, beyond the scope of public regulation, is essential to the long-term image of the areas and the city.

Street Space

POLICY 2.8
Maintain a strong presumption against the giving up of street areas for private ownership or use, or for construction of public buildings.

Street areas have a variety of public values in addition to the carrying of traffic. They are important, among other things, in the perception of the city pattern, in regulating the scale and organization of building development, in creating views, in affording neighborhood open space and landscaping, and in providing light and air and access to properties.

Like other public resources, streets are irreplaceable, and they should not be easily given up. Short-term gains in stimulating development, receipt of purchase money and additions to tax revenues will generally compare unfavorably with the long-term loss of public values. The same is true of most possible conversions of street space to other public uses, especially where construction of buildings might be proposed. A strong presumption should be maintained, therefore, against the giving up of street areas, a presumption that can be overcome only by extremely positive and far-reaching justification.

POLICY 2.9
Review proposals for the giving up of street areas in terms of all the public values that streets afford.

Every proposal for the giving up of public rights in street areas, through vacation, sale or lease of air rights, revocable permit or other means, shall be judged with the following criteria as the minimum basis for review:

A. No release of a street area shall be recommended which would result in:

1. Detriment to vehicular or pedestrian circulation;
   
   
2. Interference with the rights of access to any private property;
   
   
3. Inhibiting of access for fire protection or any other emergency purpose, or interference with utility lines or service without adequate reimbursement;
   
   
4. Obstruction or diminishing of a significant view, or elimination of a viewpoint; industrial operations;
   
   
5. Elimination or reduction of open space which might feasibly be used for public recreation;
   
   
6. Elimination of street space adjacent to a public facility, such as a park, where retention of the street might be of advantage to the public facility;
   
   
7. Elimination of street space that has formed the basis for creation of any lot, or construction or occupancy of any building according to standards that would be violated by discontinuance of the street;
   
   
8. Enlargement of a property that would result in (i) additional dwelling units in a multi-family area; (ii) excessive density for workers in a commercial area; or (iii) a building of excessive height or bulk;
   
   
9. Reduction of street space in areas of high building intensity, without provision of new open space in the same area of equivalent amount and quality and reasonably accessible for public enjoyment;
   
   
10. Removal of significant natural features, or detriment to the scale and character of surrounding development.
    
    
11. Adverse effect upon any element of the General Plan or upon an area plan or other plan of the Department of City Planning; or
    
    
12. Release of a street area in any situation in which the future development or use of such street area and any property of which it would become a part is unknown.

B. Release of a street area may be considered favorably when it would not violate any of the above criteria and when it would be:

1. Necessary for a subdivision, redevelopment project or other project involving assembly of a large site, in which a new and improved pattern would be substituted for the existing street pattern;
   
   
2. In furtherance of an industrial project where the existing street pattern would not fulfill the requirements of modern industrial operations;
   
   
3. Necessary for a significant public or semi-public use, or public assembly use, where the nature of the use and the character of the development proposed present strong justifications for occupying the street area rather than some other site;
   
   
4. For the purpose of permitting a small-scale pedestrian crossing consistent with the principles and policies of The Urban Design Element; or
   
   
5. In furtherance of the public values and purposes of streets as expressed in The Urban Design Element and elsewhere in the General Plan.
   

POLICY 2.10
Permit release of street areas, where such release is warranted, only in the least extensive and least permanent manner appropriate to each case.

In order to avoid the unnecessary permanent loss of streets as public assets, methods of release short of total vacation should be considered in cases in which some form of release is warranted. Such lesser methods of release permit later return of the street space to street purposes, and allow imposition of binding conditions as to development and use of the street area.

Mere closing of the street to traffic should be used when it will be an adequate method of release. Temporary use of the street should be authorized when permanent use is not necessary. A revocable permit should be granted in preference to street vacation. And sale or lease of air rights should be authorized where vacation of the City's whole interest is not necessary for the contemplated use. In any of these lesser transactions, street areas should be treated as precious assets which might be required for unanticipated public needs at some future time.

Urban Design (Part2) >>