Michael Rhodes

When the first Park(ing) Day was launched by Rebar in 2005, right here in San Francisco, it was on the vanguard of street space reclamation. Four years later, it's undoubtedly part of a larger trend that includes such fine company as Sunday Streets, Pavement to Parks plazas, and the first steps towards a car-less Market Street. Park(ing) Day is now officially an international phenomenon, but its rapid growth could be seen just as easily by touring sites across the city today.

"San Francisco's eastern waterfront, from Fisherman's Wharf past the Ferry Building to the Giants' ballpark and Blue Greenway, is a uniquely marvelous setting for a bike ride, whether for fun or utility, one of the city's top two-wheeling attractions for locals and visitors. But it's only just okay for bike traffic — couldn't it be much better? Carrie Nielsen, 2009 Piero N. Patri Fellow, has been working on the long-pondered question: What would it take to provide an excellent waterside bikeway from Mission Bay to North Point, separated from the motor traffic on the Embarcadero roadway and distinct from Herb Caen Way (a.k.a. the Promenade)? Come hear and see what Carrie has put together for a fully-considered vision of a world-class bikeway on the city's waterfront, a next-generation element of the Citywide Bike Network."

In a city where people and cars regularly jostle for space, it's not uncommon to have speeding traffic just inches or feet from pedestrians, homes, and parks. This spatial conflict is especially pronounced on Fell and Oak Streets, which serve all at once as de facto residential highways, major bike thoroughfares, and densely built-up residential and commercial streets, their sidewalks bustling with people on their way home or visiting the Panhandle.

A woman was struck and killed by a driver this morning while walking near the intersection of Fell and Broderick Streets in San Francisco. The victim, who wore a hooded sweatshirt, fleece cutoff pants and flip flops, was a 24-year-old San Francisco resident identified as Melissa Dennison. A man came forward to police as the driver, and was questioned but not arrested, said Lt. Lyn Tomioka, an SFPD public affairs spokesperson.

For a second straight MTA board meeting, changes to the 2-Clement dominated both the board's discussion and public comment. Funston Avenue residents and Congregation Beth Shalom members showed up in force to voice safety and noise concerns about a new bus terminus at either location. MTA directors expressed reservations about both options, acknowledging the community concerns and beseeching Transit Effectiveness Program project manager Julie Kirschbaum to offer an alternative that avoids either scenario.

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Board of Directors is expected to vote tomorrow to approve up to $217,634 to repair two damaged Muni Metro light rail vehicles. Muni currently has ten LRVs that are out of service due to damage from crashes, roughly one-fifteenth of its 151-vehicle light rail fleet.

This week there are plenty of opportunities to get involved in shaping the future of your community, clean and green it up now, and take a look back at SF’s architectural tradition. Best of all, the workweek winds down with a Livable Streets tradition — PARK(ing) Day! Here are the highlights. Monday: Public Meeting for … Continued

"Get on your bike and join other Young Urbanists to learn what’s in store for San Francisco with the implementation of the long-awaited bike plan. Dave Snyder, SPUR’s former Transportation Policy Director, will lead us around the city to highlight recent and upcoming projects. The ride should end by 4 p.m. This event is generously sponsored by the Koret Foundation. Limited to 30."

"Don’t miss this behind-the-scenes tour of SPUR with exhibition curator Benjamin Grant and Urban Center architect Peter Pfau. From the City Builders, to the Regionalists to the current movement of Eco-Urbanists, you'll learn about the urban planning movements that have shaped San Francisco's physical and social landscapes—and get an exclusive peek at the architectural and green building features of the new 14,500 square foot SPUR Urban Center in the heart of the city's bustling Yerba Buena Cultural District."

"Come see how the suburbs are changing. Join Kim Havens of Wilson, Meany & Sullivan for an inside look at a major Transit Oriented Development in San Mateo. The former Bay Meadows horse track, which sits next to the Caltrain Hillsdale station, is being transformed into 1,250 residential units, 750,000 square feet of office space and 93,000 square feet of retail. The first phase of the development is finalized with 734 housing units and a 98,000-square-foot retail complex anchored by a Whole Foods."