Objective PI.6 Increase accessibility, beauty, safety, and cleanliness of public spaces

Indicators, Development Targets and Policies/Design Strategies

Indicators Development Targets Policies/Design Strategies
Primary
a. Distribution of public plazas in commercial business districts [in process]

Benchmark #1: If the project is within a commercial business district, is there a public plaza within 1/4 mile of the project?

AND

Benchmark #2: If a commercial project over 25,000 sq ft in a commercial business district, does the project contribute funding (via impact fee or community benefits agreement) towards construction of a new public plaza or maintenance/programming at an existing plaza?

 
  • Establish environmental impact fees for large-scale developers.1,2
  • In lieu of building new public restrooms, install signage in commercial areas to direct persons to existing city-owned facilities, including hours of operation3
  • Increase the number and visibility of trash/recycling receptacles in public spaces and if necessary increase collection frequency4
  • Establish a collaborative partnership between the Police Department and the Department of Public Works to implement a litter-prevention enforcement campaign. This could include more explicitly educating police officers about Police Code rules regarding litters, establishing public litter prevention campaigns, and increasing fines for littering and illegal dumping5,6
  • Replace trees removed through public and private development, either through new planting or fees7,8
  • Ensure that new developments and streetscapes provide adequate space for trees and growing conditions that ensure their survival and development.9
  • Work with the Public Utilities Commission to provide incentives for developers to replace concrete shared/public sidewalks with landscaped and porous surface pavements10,11
  • Promote and expand the City's tree planting initiative in areas with poor tree canopy coverage12
  • During the design phase, utilize Google SketchUp 3D modeling program to conduct a sun exposure analysis. Augment the design until there are less than significant shadow impacts to parks and public plazas. 13,14
  • Introduce setbacks and non-building areas especially for large sites facing narrow urban canyon15,16
  • Adopt varying heights across the district with heights decreasing towards the prevailing wind direction17,18
b. Street tree population

Benchmark: Does the project provide a continuous row of appropriately spaced trees at all streets adjacent to the project?

Regulatory Minimum: San Francisco Planning Code, Section 143 requires the installation of one street tree for each 20 feet of property frontage along each street or alley, with any remaining fraction of 10 feet or more of frontage requiring an additional tree for the owner or developer of a new or relocated building or building with 20% or more floor area expansion in specified districts.
c. Proportion of sidewalk lengths with pedestrian scale lighting [in process] Benchmark: Does the project provide lighting fixtures on streetscapes within or adjacent to the project at current city standards for adequacy of sidewalk and street lighting?
Secondary
d. Ratio of public toilets to area of retail space in neighborhood business districts [in process] Benchmark: If a commercial project over 25,000 sq ft in a commercial business district, does the project provide public toilets?
e. Public plazas and parks exposed to high wind levels from buildings [in process]

Benchmark: Does building design for the project include all feasible measures to prevent or minimize wind downdrafts and other adverse wind affects on sidewalks and plazas?

Regulatory Minimum: San Francisco Planning Code, Section 148 requires buildings and additions to existing buildings in C-3 District to be shaped, or other wind-baffling measures adopted. Developments shall not cause ground-level wind currents to exceed 11 m.p.h. equivalent wind speed in areas of substantial pedestrian use and seven m.p.h. equivalent wind speed in public seating areas. When preexisting ambient wind speeds exceed the comfort level, or when a proposed building or addition may cause ambient wind speeds to exceed the comfort level, the building shall be designed to reduce the ambient wind speeds to meet the requirements.
f. Public plaza or parks exposed to shadow from buildings [in process]

Benchmark: Does building design for the project include all feasible measures to maximize sunshine on sidewalks and plazas?

Regulatory Minimum: San Francisco Planning Code, Section 147 requires new buildings and additions to existing buildings in specified districts where the building height exceeds 50 feet to be shaped to reduce substantial shadow impacts on public plazas and other publicly accessible spaces other than those protected under Section 295.

Health-based Rationale

  • Trees mitigate temperatures in cities (preventing heat-island effect), thus decreasing energy consumption and associated costs for heating and cooling; reduce the amount of storm water runoff (thereby improving water quality and management -- also reducing energy consumption); increase oxygen production; and, reduce levels of smog, thereby improving air quality.19
  • The leafy canopy of trees not only reduce surrounding temperature and provides natural shade, they also reduce ultraviolet radiation (UV) and the risk of skin cancer.20
  • Presence of green surroundings in urban settings is associated with fewer crime reports after controlling for the number of apartments per building, building height, vacancy rate, and number of occupied units per building.21
  • The presence of views and access to natural vegetation in the urban environment increases concentration and is associated with fewer behavior problems among children.22
  • Sunshine promotes bone mineralization through the production of Vitamin D.23-24
  • Evidence suggests neighborhoods with attractive and comfortable pedestrian facilities and local destinations (such as shops and public transport) are associated with walking near home.

Established Standards

  1. San Francisco Planning Code, Section 143 requires the installation of one street tree for each 20 feet of property frontage along each street or alley, with any remaining fraction of 10 feet or more of frontage requiring an additional tree for the owner or developer of a new or relocated building or building with 20% or more floor area expansion in specified districts. Available at: http://www.municode.com/Resources/gateway.asp?sid=5&browseAllCodes=San%20Francisco
  2. San Francisco Planning Code, Section 148 requires buildings and additions to existing buildings in C-3 District to be shaped, or other wind-baffling measures adopted. Developments shall not cause ground-level wind currents to exceed 11 m.p.h. equivalent wind speed in areas of substantial pedestrian use and seven m.p.h. equivalent wind speed in public seating areas. When preexisting ambient wind speeds exceed the comfort level, or when a proposed building or addition may cause ambient wind speeds to exceed the comfort level, the building shall be designed to reduce the ambient wind speeds to meet the requirements. Available at: http://www.municode.com/Resources/gateway.asp?sid=5&browseAllCodes=San%20Francisco
  3. San Francisco Planning Code, Section 147 requires new buildings and additions to existing buildings in specified districts where the building height exceeds 50 feet to be shaped to reduce substantial shadow impacts on public plazas and other publicly accessible spaces other than those protected under Section 295. Available at: http://www.municode.com/Resources/gateway.asp?sid=5&browseAllCodes=San%20Francisco
1. San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District. Indirect Source Review Rule http://www.valleyair.org/ISR/ISRHome.htm
2. New Rules Project. Lancaster, CA Distance-Based Impact Fee http://www.newrules.org/environment/lancaster.html
3. American Restrooms Association National Model: Public Restroom Initiative & Comprehensive Building Toilet Code http://www.americanrestroom.org/pr/index.htm#law & http://www.americanrestroom.org/code/index.htm
4. Sustainability Plan for the City of San Francisco: Solid Waste http://www.sustainable-city.org/Plan/SolidWst/strategy.htm
5. Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco: Report of the 2000-2001 San Francisco Civil Grand Jury http://www.sfgov.org/site/courts_page.asp?id=3724
6. East Bay Express "Chasing the Rubbish Ruffians" http://www.eastbayexpress.com/news/chasing_the_rubbish_ruffians/Content?oid=354899
7. San Francisco Department of Public Works: Street Tree Removal Permitting Process http://www.sfgov.org/site/sfdpw_index.asp?id=75403
8. City of Davis Urban Forestry Program http://www.cityofdavis.org/pcs/trees/
9. San Francisco Department of the Environment: Trees http://www.sfenvironment.org/our_programs/topics.html?ssi=4&ti=8#Reports%3C/div%3E
10. San Francisco Public Utilities Commission: Low Impact Development http://sfwater.org/mto_main.cfm/MC_ID/14/MSC_ID/361/MTO_ID/541
11. City of Olympia, WA Science and Innovations: Porous Pavement http://www.ci.olympia.wa.us/cityutilities/stormwater/scienceandinnovations/porouspavement.htm
12. San Francisco "Mayor Gavin Newsom Announces Results Of Aggressive Tree Planting Goals To Kickoff Arbor Week" http://www.sfgov.org/site/mayor_index.asp?id=56899
13. Google SketchUp: Green Architecture http://www.google.com/sketchup/green/architechture.html
14. New York Times "Measuring a Project's Shadow and Burden on Brooklyn" http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/19/nyregion/19yards.html?fta=y
15. Hong Kong Planning Department Urban Design Guidelines http://www.pland.gov.hk/tech_doc/hkpsg/english/ch11/ch11_text.htm
16. Urban Canyon Effects - Wind http://saveoursarasota.blogspot.com/2006/02/urban-canyon-effects-wind.html
17. Hong Kong Planning Department Urban Design Guidelines http://www.pland.gov.hk/tech_doc/hkpsg/E_sum/urban/urban.htm
18. Urban Canyon Effects - Wind http://saveoursarasota.blogspot.com/2006/02/urban-canyon-effects-wind.html
19. Pacific Southwest Research Station's Center for Urban Forest Research: Accessed at: http://www.fs.fed.us/psw/programs/cufr/research/benefit.shtml and SF Urban Forest Council 2005 Annual Report. Accessed at: http://www.sfenvironment.org/our_policies/overview.html?ssi=16#Reports
20. Grant R, Heisler G, Gao W. Estimation of Pedestrian Level UV exposure under trees. Photochemistry and Photobiology. 2002;75(4):369-376.
21. Kuo FE, Sullivan WC. Environment and crime in the inner city: does vegetation reduce crime? Environment and Behavior. 2001;33(3):343-367.
22. Taylor AF, Kuo FE, Sullivan WC. Coping With ADD: The Surprising Connection to Green Play Settings. Environment and Behavior. 2001;33(1):54-77.
23. Holick MF. Sunlight and vitamin D for bone health and prevention of autoimmune diseases, cancers, and cardiovascular disease. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004;80(6 Suppl):1678S-88S.
24. Lips P. Vitamin D physiology. Prog Biophys Mol Biol. 2006;92(1):4-8.