What?

The San Francisco Planning Department describes the concept of living alleys as “urban living rooms”: places to gather, play and reflect. The concept, which draws inspiration from Better Streets Plan, the Parklet Program, Green Connections and the Sidewalk Landscape Program, was imagined as an improvement for the city’s Market Octavia Neighborhood as part of the 2007 Area Plan.

The toolkit is a practical guide that helps residents, designers, and community organizations plan and implement living alleys—low-traffic streets redesigned as shared public spaces. It provides design strategies, example prototypes, implementation guidance, cost considerations, and maintenance recommendations for creating people-centered streets.

Why?

living Alleys have become an increasingly popular way to create small urban spaces that prioritize pedestrian usability through placemaking. Projects may include art installations, community gardens or landscaping, stages and outdoor seating.

This Toolkit is a great resource for urban planners, civically minded residents and architects alike. The goals and strategies laid out within the Toolkit can help make any public space more livable, vibrant and accessible.