Better Streets Plan Kick-Off Event
Thursday, April 5, 2007
5:15 pm - 8:00 pm
City Hall North Light Court
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Pl.

The Better Streets Plan got off to a highly successful start, with more than 200 San Franciscans attending the Plan’s kick-off event on April 5th, 2007 at City Hall. Mayor Gavin Newsom opened the evening by speaking to the need to improve the City’s streets for pedestrians, cyclists, and transit riders, and his goal to create a higher quality, more vital streetscape for all users. Supervisor Jake McGoldrick, a co-sponsor of the related Better Streets Ordinance, spoke to the unprecedented interagency cooperation associated with the Plan. Supervisors Ed Jew and Ross Mirkarimi also were in attendance.

Eight department heads attended the event, representing the Planning Department, the Municipal Transportation Agency, the Department of Public Works, the Public Utilities Commission Wastewater Enterprise, the Department of Public Health, the San Francisco County Transportation Authority, the Mayor’s Office on Disability, and the Mayor’s Office of City Greening, emphasizing their respective department’s commitment to the Better Streets Plan. Numerous members of the Better Streets Plan’s Community Advisory Committee also were present.

Dr. Richard Jackson, adjunct professor with UC Berkeley’s Department of Public Health, delivered the evening’s keynote address, emphasizing the connection between walkable, well-designed streets and public health.

Staff from the departments identified above were on hand to personally discuss the Better Streets Plan with the public and to answer questions. Members of the public also were encouraged to fill out comment cards and surveys, which are being used to guide the Better Streets Plan.

Program Materials
April 5, 2007 Kick-Off Event (boards) 13.3 MB
Introduction to the Better Streets Plan (presentation) 3.1 MB

Community Meetings

Summary of Community Meetings

Over 500 people in total have attended over 25 community meetings to give their feedback into the goals and priorities of the Better Streets Plan. Community meetings were held in many different neighborhoods about the city.

After brief presentations, community members were able to give their feedback in a variety of ways, including:

• Questions and answers for a panel of City staff from multiple departments
• Facilitated small group exercises
• Comment boards that ask participants to say which streets they like, which they don’t and why
• Surveys; and
• Comment sheets

At the first round of community meetings, participants rated the five most important street improvements as:

• Street trees
• Greenery (landscaping other than trees)
• Sidewalk maintenance
• Clear sidewalks (free from obstructions)
• Slower traffic

In the second round of community meetings, participant priorities included:

• Designs that slow traffic (such as curb extensions or more visible crosswalks)
• Safe and accessible sidewalks and intersections
• More trees and greenery
• Better maintenance of streetscape elements
• Better enforcement of car parking on sidewalks, bicycle riding on sidewalks, and car parking near corners

A full summary of community feedback is located here.

Youth Walking Tour

In partnership with BAYCAT, Literacy for Environmental Justice, and Youth Leadership Institute, the Better Streets Team held a youth-based walking tour. The walking tour took 10 high school and college aged youth from the Bayview neighborhood on a tour of local streets. BAYCAT, a Bayview arts education organization, filmed the entire walking tour and prepared a video of the event.

To view the Better Streets youth walking tour video, click here!