Make a Wish Upon a Tree in Potrero Hill

Some were new; some were old. All were personal.

In January 2014, I visited San Francisco and discovered a small, dense neighborhood on a steep hill.  It became a fast favorite, Potero Hill.  Together, my husband, daughter and I, standing outside on the street, discovered a tree filled with small hand-written notes tied to the branches like ornaments.

Some were new; some were old. All were personal.

We had no idea who started this creation. There was no signage, no credit taken. Just tons of notes filled with things each writer was grateful for, simply expressed.  How wonderful.

We immediately found a pen and paper and wrote our joint note.  With surprise and pleasure a year later almost to the date, the tree still stands. The notes are more plentiful. Some damaged by rain but the majority, surviving in the ideal Bay Area climate.

This small and modest tree stands as a huge and enduring testament to the vitality of community life, the desire we all have to connect – and to the fun and creativity a city can experience in free yet priceless ways.

Why not consider starting a similar tree in your neighborhood?

 

Photography Credit: Aminah Ricks

All Aboard the Mollie Bus!

You are in the mood to grocery shop. . . but not in the mood to figure out if you should drive, bike or take public transportation?

In San Francisco, there is an initiative that takes this question, out of the equation.

Mollie Stone’s chain of grocery stores has launched the Mollie Bus, a free service that takes you home from the grocery store, to your front door.

On their website, this is how they describe this alternative transport:

Here’s how it works:

  1. You catch it in front of the store.
  2. Your receipt is your bus ticket.  Just get on with your bag, and you’re on your way.
  3. It takes you to your doorstep.  Just tell the driver where you live.
  4. Please remember, it’s not a taxi.  It takes you home, but it won’t pick you up.

We think this is an idea worth replicating.

 

Photography Credit: Aminah Ricks

Crossing Borders: Oakland and San Francisco

SPUR, Ideas and Actions for a Better City

San Francisco 6:00 p.m. | Monday, May 4, 2015

Though physically separated by the San Francisco Bay, Oakland and San Francisco are inextricably linked through their economies, housing markets and the hundreds of thousands of people who cross the bay each day. Come hear both cities’ planning directors in a conversation on some of the topics that link (or divide) them.

+ Rachel Flynn / Oakland Department of Planning and Building
John Rahaim / San Francisco Planning Department

Can’t make it in person? Check out the Live@SPUR webcast of this event.

SPUR Urban Center

654 Mission Street

94105-4015 San Francisco, CA

From Ideas to Reality – Market Street Prototyping Festival

Whether you are walking quickly down the street rushing to work or strolling to meet a friend, you may get an epiphany of what the street is missing.  What would make this stretch of street more enjoyable to traverse, less annoying? What would engage, connect and inspire you and your fellow pedestrians?

The San Francisco Planning Department and the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts have collaborated on a project that allows residents of the city to address these questions and more.  Fifty prototypes for Placemaking were selected and will be brought to life on Market Street April 9-11th.  Even if you will not be in San Francisco, it is a worthwhile activity to take a close look at these creative prototypes and see if any would work in your area.

The target area for the winning prototype will become a permanent part of downtown Market Street that is undergoing a 5-year renovation.

Festival Details

Photography Credit: Studio 1500

Elevating City Life