SAN FRANCISC

ETTER
STREETS
PLA
OLICIES AND GUIDELINES FOR THE PEDESTRIAN REAL

FINAL PLAN
ADOP TED BY THE SAN FRANCISCO BOARD
OF SUP ERV ISORS ON DECEMBER 7 , 2 0 1 0
SAN FRANCISCO
PL ANNING
D E PA R T M E N T

Mayors Ofce on

Disability

The BETTER STREETS PLAN is intended to illustrate best practices

and provide a guiding document for all actors wishing to make
changes to the public right-of-way in San Francisco. The BETTER
STREETS PLAN is explicitly intended as guidance only, as opposed
to definitive standards. The BETTER STREETS PLAN describes and
illustrates typical situations for the design of streets, sidewalks,
and intersections, based on typical street types and standard
street improvements. Intersection geometry, topography,
transportation factors, and other existing conditions combine
create many unique situations. The BETTER STREETS PLAN provides
flexibility for the professional to design to specific conditions.
To the greatest extent feasible, the guidelines contained in
this document should be followed to create a pedestrian
environment that serves all users.

Cover rendering by Allan B. Jacobs

Contact
For more information on the Better Strees Plan, contact:
Adam Varat, Project Manager
San Francisco Planning Department
415.558.6405
[email protected]

Visit our website at:

www.sfbetterstreets.org

SAN FRANCISCO
BETTER STREETS PLAN
POLICIES AND GUIDELINES FOR THE PEDESTRIAN REALM

FINAL PLAN
ADOP TED BY THE SAN FRANCISCO BOARD
OF SUP ERV ISORS ON DECEMBER 7 , 2 0 1 0

Read this first:

Navigating the Better Streets Plan
The Better Streets Plan guides the design of the pedestrian
environment for all users. Its a long document, but most
of the time users will only need to read certain portions.
This page will help you quickly gure out where to look in
the document for particular guidance.

USERS
The Better Streets Plan is intended for a variety of users,
including:

DOCUMENT STRUCTURE

Designing a street?

The Better Streets Plan consists of the following sections:

Follow these steps:

1. Introduction
Background, overview of the plan process, and next steps.
2. Context
Existing pedestrian and streestcape conditions, relevant
federal, state, and local policies, and existing City planning
eorts relating to street design.

Decision-makers: The Plan recommends policy directions and next steps to achieve a great pedestrian
environment. See Chapter 3.

3. Goals and Policies: The Path to Better Streets

Plan goals, objectives, and policy directions to achieve
Better Streets.

Street designers and managers: The Plan sets guidelines to guide the design and use of the pedestrian
environment, whether new streets, full streetscape
re-designs, or design and placement of individual
streetscape elements. See Chapters 4, 5, and 6.

4. Approach: Designing Great Streetscapes

Framework for design of the pedestrian realm by street
type, and guidelines that apply to the pedestrian environment as a whole, such as sidewalk zones and general layout
of streetscape elements.

Stakeholders: The plan provides a resource and guide

for community members, organizations, or private
developers making streetscape improvements or
seeking to understand the rules regarding design and
use of the pedestrian environment. See Chapters 4, 5,
and 6.

5. Guide: Street Designs

Guidelines for curb lines and related features, such as
medians, curb extensions, and crosswalks.
6. Guide: Streetscape Elements
Guidelines for individual streetscape elements, such as
plantings, lighting, site furnishings, and utilities.
7. Implementation
Recommendations for implementing Better Streets, including maintenance, enforcement, and funding strategies.

1. Determine street type (See Section 4.1)

2. Identify appropriate standard and additional elements for that street type (4.1)
3. See guidelines for overall design: sidewalk width,
sidewalk zones, and layout of streetscape elements
(4.2)
4. Follow specific guidelines for individual elements as
necessary (Chapters 5 and 6)

Locating a specific element?

Follow these steps:
1. See guidelines for overall design: sidewalk width,
sidewalk zones, and layout of streetscape elements
(Chapter 4)
2. Follow specific guidelines for the particular element
(Chapters 5 and 6)

Contents

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

III

1.0 INTRODUCTION

01

2.0 CONTEXT

19

1.1 BACKGROUND
1.2 PLAN DEVELOPMENT
1.3 MOVING FORWARD

2.1 EXISTING CONDITIONS

2.2 REGULATORY CONTEXT
2.3 EXISTING CITY EFFORTS

3.0 GOALS AND POLICIES: THE PATH TO BETTER STREETS

3.1 VISION
3.2 PREFACE TO GOALS AND POLICIES
3.3 GOALS AND POLICIES

4.0 APPROACH: DESIGNING GREAT STREETSCAPES

4.1 STREET TYPES
4.2 OVERALL STREETSCAPE GUIDELINES

5.0 GUIDE: STREET DESIGNS

111

6.0 GUIDE: STREETSCAPE ELEMENTS

171

5.1
5.2
5.3
5.4
5.5
5.6
5.7
5.8

03
11
15

21
25
29

6.1
6.2
6.3
6.4
6.5
6.6

35
36
37
38

53
55
60

CROSSWALKS AND PEDESTRIAN SIGNALS

CORNER CURB RADII
CURB EXTENSIONS (BULB-OUTS)
MEDIANS AND ISLANDS
TRANSIT-SUPPORTIVE STREETSCAPE DESIGN
PARKING LANE TREATMENTS
TRAFFIC CALMING AND ROUNDABOUTS
PEDESTRIAN-PRIORITY DESIGNS

URBAN FOREST
STORMWATER MANAGEMENT TOOLS
LIGHTING
PAVING
SITE FURNISHINGS
UTILITIES AND DRIVEWAYS

113
123
127
133
139
147
153
159

173
187
205
211
217
233

7.0

IMPLEMENTATION

243

AP

APPENDICES

234

A
B
C
D
E
F
G

251
252
254
255
256
263
266

BETTER STREETS POLICY

TRANSIT-FIRST POLICY
COMPLETE STREETS POLICY
SUMMARY OF COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
SUMMARY OF ACCESSIBILITY GUIDELINES
GLOSSARY
SUMMARY OF PHYSICAL ELEMENTS IN THE BETTER STREETS PLAN

Streets are almost always public: owned by the public, and when we speak
of the public realm we are speaking in large measure of streets. What is more,
streets change. They are tinkered with constantly: curbs are changed to make
sidewalks narrower or (in fewer cases) wider, they are repaved, lights are
changed, the streets are torn up to replace water and sewer lines or cables and
again repaved. The buildings along them change and in doing so change the
streets. Every change brings with it the opportunity for improvement. If we
can develop and design streets so that they are wonderful, fullling places to
be, community-building places, attractive public places for all people of cities
and neighborhoods, then we will have successfully designed about one-third of
the city directly and will have had an immense impact on the rest.
Allan Jacobs,
Great Streets, MIT Press, 1995

INTRODUCTION

PLAN HIGHLIGHTS

The Better Streets Plan provides a blueprint for the future

of San Franciscos pedestrian environment. It describes a
vision, creates design guidelines, and identies next steps to
create a truly great pedestrian realm.

The Better Streets Plan contains a wide range of guidelines relating to streetscape and pedestrian facilities. Major
themes and ideas include:

The Plan seeks to balance the needs of all street users, and
reects the understanding that the pedestrian environment is about much more than just transportation that
streets serve a multitude of social, recreational and ecological needs that must be considered when deciding on the
most appropriate design. The Plan follows from the Better
Streets Policy, adopted by the Board of Supervisors and the
Mayor in February 2006, which describes the varied roles
that the Citys streets should play.
The Better Streets Plan provides guidelines for the pedestrian environment, dened as the areas of the street where
people walk, shop, sit, play, or interact outside of moving
vehicles. Generally speaking, this refers to sidewalks and
crosswalks; however, in some cases, this may be expanded
to include certain areas of the roadway. The Plan does not
generally focus on roadway or vehicle travel characteristics.
If fully realized, the Better Streets Plan will bring a number
of benets to San Francisco. It will help retain families in
San Francisco, support Muni and a transit-rst city, help
promote public safety, help to minimize sewer/stormwater
overows into the Bay, decrease the likelihood of pedestrian injuries and fatalities, increase accessibility for all
street users, and enhance the everyday quality of life for
San Franciscos residents.

Rendering by Allan B. Jacobs

This plan follows from a long public and technical process.

City sta attended over 100 community meetings relating
to the Better Streets Plan, held monthly meetings with a
Community Advisory Committee, and received over 1,000
responses to the two Better Streets Plan surveys. As well,
the Better Streets team has met with technical agency sta
to gather comments regarding technical feasibility of initial
concepts and proposals.

Distinctive, unied streetscape design: Street trees as

dening the streetscape rhythm; integrated site furnishings; regular pedestrian-oriented lighting; minimizing
cluttering elements.

Space for public life: Safe, useable public seating for

neighborhood gathering; generous curb extensions for
seating and landscaping; reclaiming of excess street space
for public use; space for outdoor caf and restaurant
seating and merchant displays.

Enhanced pedestrian safety: Safe, convenient pedestrian crossings; curb radii and curb extensions that slow
trac, shorten crossing distance, and enhance visibility;
pedestrian countdown signals and other pedestrian priority signals (head-start, pedestrian scramble).

Improved street ecology: On-site stormwater management to reduce combined sewer overows;
resource-ecient elements and materials; streets as
green corridors and habitat connectors.

Universal design and accessibility: Generous, unobstructed sidewalks, curb ramps for all users, accessible
pedestrian signals.

Integrating pedestrians with transit: Transit rider

amenities at key stops; safe, convenient pedestrian
routes to transit; mutual features that benet pedestrian safety and comfort and transit operations, such
as bus bulb-outs and boarding islands.

Creative use of parking lanes: Permanent curb extensions with seating and landscaping; landscape planters
in the parking lane; exible, temporary use of the
parking lane for restaurant seating or other uses.

Trac calming to reduce speeding and enhance

pedestrian safety: Raised crossings and speed tables;
landscaped trac circles; chicanes.

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EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY

Executive Summary

EXECUTIVE SUMMAR Y

EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY

Pedestrian-priority designs: Shared public ways;

temporary or permanent street closures to vehicles;
sidewalk and median pocket parks.
Extensive greening: Healthy, well-maintained urban
forest; expanded sidewalk plantings; ecient utility
location to provide more potential planting locations.

In order to implement the vision of the plan, the City must

take a variety of next steps, including the following:


Improve the coordination and delivery of street

improvements.

Create an easy to use Better Streets guide and website.

Develop a framework for implementation and prioritization of street improvement projects.

Develop additional technical guidance on a number

of topics, including: urban forest, stormwater, street
and pedestrian lighting, street furnishing, and roadway
design guidelines.

NEXT STEPS
The Better Streets Plan is a vision for the future of the
Citys pedestrian environment. These suggested improvements are not extravagant or uncommonthey are in
use in many cities across the state and nation. However,
even typical street improvements cost money to build and
maintain. To build out the Plans recommendations on the
Citys streets, the City must have capital and maintenance
funding in placefunding the City does not currently
have. The City must continue to seek funding to realize the
vision of the Better Streets Plan.
Better streets rely on successful implementationongoing
capital funding, ecient maintenance, and eective education and enforcement. This plan describes a vision for
ideal streets, and recognizes the need to have detailed
implementation strategies. The plan identies high-level
implementation measures. Other recommendations
have been developed in an accompanying report by the
Controllers Oce.
The Better Streets Plan is merely the rst step to realizing
an improved pedestrian environment and public realm
in San Francisco. It sets high-level guidelines that should
be used in the Citys on-going streetscape and pedestrian
design. It does not seek to prioritize or create a project list
of Better Streets projects. Nor does it give specic engineering guidance on a number of technical topicsthose
standards may be found in other existing or planned
documents.

CHAPTERS
The Better Streets Plan consists of the following chapters:
1. Introduction
2. Context
3. Goals and Policies: The Path to Better Streets
4. Approach: Designing Great Streetscapes
5. Guide: Street Designs
6. Guide: Streetscape Elements
7. Implementation

1.0 INTRODUCTION
Chapter 1 gives background on the plan, describes the plan
development, and identies next steps, and is summarized
above.

2.0 CONTEXT
Chapter 2 describes existing conditions and policies relating to streets and the pedestrian environment in San
Francisco today.

2.1 Existing conditions

Walking accounts for 20% of all trips made in San
Francisco1. Major activity generators include transit
hubs, schools, hospitals and shopping centers. Pedestrian
volumes are highest in the northeast quadrant of the city,
and along major transit corridors. Pedestrian collisions and
fatalities have been generally declining over time, though
still remain signicant. Many pedestrian collisions are concentrated in a few areas of the city.
Streetscape and pedestrian infrastructure includes signs
and signals, sidewalks, curb ramps, street trees, street lighting, site furnishings, and stormwater infrastructure. San
Franciscos street and sidewalk infrastructure varies greatly,
as does data on the condition of these features. The City
is engaged in collecting on-going data on a number of
features.

2.2 Existing policies

Street design in San Francisco is subject to federal, state,
and local policies, standards, and guidelines. Key federal
and state policies and standards include the Americans
with Disabilities Act (ADA) and related documents, the
California Manual on Uniform Trac Control Devices
(MUTCD), the California Vehicle Code (CVC), American
Association of State Highway and Transportation Ocials
(AASHTO) standards, the California Environmental
Quality Act (CEQA), and the Clean Water Act and
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
(NPDES) permit, which regulates stormwater runo into
receiving waters.
Locally, San Francisco has passed the Transit-First Policy
(City Charter Section 16.102) and the Better Streets
Policy (Administrative Code Chapter 98), which prioritize
street improvements that enhance transit trips over other
transportation modes, and require the City to coordinate
to create streets that are pedestrian-oriented and multifunctional, respectively. Additional City policies can be
found in the San Francisco General Plan and its constituent elements. The Countywide Transportation Plan also
1

ii

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San Francisco County Transportation Authority

5. Promote healthy lifestyles: San Franciscos streets

should promote healthy lifestyles by encouraging
walking to daily and occasional destinations, minimizing pedestrian injuries and helping to decrease major
chronic diseases related to air quality and pedestrian
activity.

2.3 Existing City efforts

6. Safe: San Franciscos streets should be designed to

create a street environment that supports a high level
of pedestrian safety and security.

The City has a number of on-going projects and programs

relating to street improvement. Responsibility for street
planning, design, funding, regulation, maintenance, education, and enforcement is spread over several departments.
Though there are many good projects, there is often inconsistency in the results, and the process can be expensive,
time-consuming, and confusing.

3.0 GOALS AND POLICIES: THE PATH TO BETTER STREETS

Chapter 3 describes an overall vision for better streets. It
describes goals, objectives, policies, guidelines, and next
steps to achieve a great pedestrian environment, based on
the following 10 Elements of Better Streets.
Streets should (be):
1. Memorable: San Franciscos streets should be designed
to give the city and its neighborhoods a recognizable
image and provide a means of orientation and understanding of the city.
2. Support diverse public life: San Franciscos streets
should provide opportunities for diverse experiences
and encourage people to spend time engaging in social
and recreational activities.
3. Vibrant places for commerce: San Franciscos streets
should be designed and managed as attractive and
exciting destinations that encourage residents and visitors to walk to and use local shopping areas, rather
than to drive to regional shopping centers.
4. Promote human use and comfort: San Francisco
streets should be designed to prioritize the everyday
needs of people and to support human comfort and
enjoyment.

7. Create convenient connections: San Franciscos streets

should be designed to facilitate safe, accessible, and
convenient connections among major nodes, hubs,
destinations, transit centers, and major land use and
activity centers.
8. Ecologically sustainable: San Franciscos streets should
be designed as a green network, enhancing the Citys
long-term ecological functioning.
9. Accessible: San Francisco streets should be designed
for ease of use and access to destinations for all populations, particularly those with visual or mobility
impairments.
10. Attractive, inviting, and well-cared for: San Franciscos
streets should be beautiful, create an engaging visual
impression, appeal to senses of sight, smell, and sound,
and encourage a sense of ownership and civic pride
that is reected in streets physical appearance and level
of activity.

4.0 APPROACH: DESIGNING GREAT STREETSCAPES

Chapter 4 sets a framework for overall streetscape design.
It is divided into two sections: 4.1 Street Types; and 4.2
Overall Streetscape Guidelines.

4.1 Street Types

Dierent streets play dierent roles, so this chapter begins
by categorizing streets into dierent street types for the
purposes of streetscape design. Street classications are
based on land use characteristics (residential, commercial,

industrial, mixed-use) and transportation roles (downtown,

throughway, neighborhood). Special streets (parkways, park
edge streets, boulevards and ceremonial (civic) streets), and
small streets (alleys, shared public ways, and pedestrianonly streets) are called out separately. These classications
are not intended to replace technical transportation classications, but to help make decisions about streetscape
design.

EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY

guides street improvements. City standards and guidelines

relating to street design can be found in the Administrative
Code, Building Code, Fire Code, Planning Code, Public
Works Code, Transportation Code, and in departmental
orders, design guidelines, and standard plans.

Section 4.1 shows a typical site plan and section for each
street type, using recommended sidewalk widths, pedestrian facilities, and streetscape amenities. For each street
type, the Plan lists standard improvements (such as street
trees, curb ramps, marked crossings, and site furnishings)
and case-by-case additions (such as mid-block crosswalks,
landscaped center medians, perpendicular or angled
parking with corner plazas, and extended bulb-outs with
landscaping and seating). Standard additions should generally be included in any streetscape design project on a
particular street type. Case-by-case additions should be
considered as budgets, physical conditions, and neighborhood preferences allow.

4.2 Overall Streetscape Guidelines

Section 4.2 provides overall guidelines for the streetscape
environment. Streetscapes should be designed to encompass a variety of features and amenities, and reect a
unied design sensibility. Streetscape projects should be
combined wherever possible to provide completeness in
streetscape design. For example, curb ramp projects may
be combined with building curb extensions, which could
house seating, landscaping, and stormwater treatment
measures.
Section 4.2 describes appropriate elements and treatments
for intersection design, including marked crosswalks, curb
ramps, parking restrictions at corners, tight turn radii, curb
extensions, pedestrian refuge islands, street trees, street and
pedestrian lighting, and site furnishings. These elements
should be combined to create a safe, convenient, inviting
intersection for pedestrians.

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iii

EXECUTIVE SUMMAR Y

EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY

Next, Section 4.2 discusses sidewalk widths and zones.

Sidewalks are divided into ve zones: frontage, throughway, furnishings, edge, and extension. These terms are
used throughout the document. Minimum and recommended sidewalk widths are given for each street type.
Sidewalks below minimum width should be considered
decient, and should be widened as opportunities and
funding allow. Recommended widths are wide enough to
allow for desired streetscape amenities. Sidewalks on new
streets should meet or exceed recommended widths.

5.2 Corner curb radii

5.6 Parking lane treatments

Corner curb radii (turn radii) have a major impact on

pedestrian safety and quality. Tight turn radii slow turning
vehicles, shorten crossing distances and enhance visibility. Turn radii should be as tight as possible to enhance
pedestrian comfort; however, they should be designed to
accommodate turning vehicles as well per the guidelines.
This section also presents alternative strategies for dealing
with intersections with frequent large turning vehicles.

In many cases, the pedestrian environment may be

extended into the parking lane, either permanently or
temporarily. Curb extensions are one way of achieving this.
Providing perpendicular or angled parking where roadway
width allows can also allow for the creation of signicant
corner plazas. Alternative uses for the parking lane are
also considered, including landscaped planters, bicycle
parking, and exible (temporary) use of the parking lane
for outdoor seating.

Finally, this section describes guidelines for overall

layout of streetscape elements. Streetscapes should wisely
allocate limited space, strive for wholeness, and accommodate pedestrian needs. Street trees should dene the
rhythm of the streetscape, and be the primary organizing
element. Conicts with ideal street tree locations should
be minimized to achieve this rhythm. Street and pedestrian
lighting may be placed in an o-setting rhythm. Other site
furnishings should be placed in relation to these elements,
per appropriate clearances, discussed in Chapter 6.

5.3 Curb extensions

5.0 GUIDE: STREET DESIGNS

5.4 Medians and islands

Chapter 5 describes guidelines for street designs such as

curb geometries, crosswalks, parking lanes, and special
street conditions. It is divided into eight sections: 5.1
Crosswalks and Pedestrian Signals; 5.2 Corner curb
radii; 5.3 Curb extensions; 5.4 Medians and Islands; 5.5
Transit-Supportive Streetscape Design; 5.6 Parking lane
treatments; 5.7 Trac calming and roundabouts; and 5.8
Pedestrian-priority designs.

Similar to curb radii, curb extensions slow turning vehicles,

shorten crossing distances and enhance visibility by extending the sidewalk into parking lanes. Corner curb extensions
should be a standard treatment on most street types.
They should be designed to maximize pedestrian space.
Generous curb extensions may allow opportunities for
landscaping, seating, and stormwater management. They
may also be placed at mid-block locations to create a small
plaza.

Medians are continuous raised areas within the roadway

that control trac, and may have a trac calming,
greening, and ecological benet. They may also provide
pedestrian refuges at crossings. Medians should include
trees and other landscaping as appropriate. Islands are
smaller raised areas within the roadway. They may provide
a pedestrian refuge, trac calming, or design feature.

5.5 Transit-Supportive Streetscape Design

5.1 Crosswalks and Pedestrian Signals
Crosswalks are an essential part of a safe, convenient pedestrian realm, and may also be an urban design treatment.
This section describes guidelines for location and design
of marked crosswalks at intersections and mid-block locations, special treatments such as raised crossings, special
paving treatments, and special signals, pedestrian signals,
and vehicle movements at intersections, including right
turns on red and multiple turn lanes.

iv

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Most transit rides begin or end on foot. People waiting

at transit stops are some of the most frequent users of the
pedestrian realm. Transit waiting areas should be designed
with amenities for waiting riders. They must also be accessible to all users and provide clear paths to and from the
transit shelter and vehicle. Bus bulbs and transit boarding
islands may be used to improve transit operations and also
provide greater sidewalk space.

5.7 Traffic calming and roundabouts

Trac calming enhances pedestrian safety and neighborhood character by slowing trac. Trac calming measures
discussed in this plan include trac circles and chicanes.
These should be designed to slow trac by visually narrowing the street and forcing cars to shift laterally. They
may also present opportunities for landscaping, stormwater
treatment, and community stewardship. Roundabouts
are trac control devices with limited applicability in San
Francisco. Where they are used, consideration should be
given to pedestrian safety, accessibility, and waynding.

5.8 Pedestrian-priority designs

Pedestrian-priority designs are special cases that provide
more than the standard sidewalk space for pedestrians.
These include: sidewalk and median pocket parks, shared
public ways, local lanes and medians on multi-way boulevards, pedestrian-only streets, and public stairs. In all cases,
the pedestrian area or shared pedestrian/vehicle area should
be designed to slow trac and indicate areas of pedestrian
priority. They may also be opportunities to create signicant public spaces.

Chapter 6 describes guidelines for streetscape elements

typically found in sidewalks or curb extensions, including:
street trees and plantings, stormwater control measures,
street and pedestrian lighting, paving, site furnishings,
utilities, and driveways.

6.1 Urban forest

The urban forest consists of street trees, understory plantings (ground landscaping), and above-ground plantings
(planter boxes or hanging planters). Urban forest elements
should be appropriate to soil and microclimate zones.
Drought-tolerant and climate-adapted species should be
used. Native plantings should be used when it is possible to
maintain healthy plantings.
Street trees should be the primary organizing element of
the streetscape; restrictions and conicts with other elements should be minimized to ensure consistent plantings.
Tree basins should be optimized to ensure tree health and
minimize root interference with sidewalks. Tree furnishings
such as grates, guards or railings may be used for a design
treatment; however, they may be dicult to maintain or
inhibit tree health.
Understory plantings should be used in furnishings zones
on most street types, with sucient area for healthy
plantings. They may have a formal or more naturalistic
treatment, depending on the context. Sidewalk landscaping may be present and still allow access to parked cars and
utilities if designed properly. Above-ground landscaping
is appropriate in limited circumstances such as in special
design areas, or where in-ground landscaping is not possible due to utilities or other constraints.

6.2 Stormwater control measures

Stormwater control measures are on-street stormwater
facilities that capture stormwater before it enters the Citys
combined or separate stormwater systems. This treatment

can result in fewer combined sewer overows into the bay

or ocean. Stormwater control measures can be designed
to inltrate, retain, detain, convey, and treat stormwater.
Inltration may not be possible in all locations. For more
technical details, refer to the San Francisco Stormwater
Design Guidelines.
Stormwater management tools include permeable paving,
bioretention facilities, swales, channels and runnels, inltration trenches, inltration boardwalks, vegetated gutters,
and vegetated buer strips. All of these features may be
designed to be integral, aesthetic parts of the streetscape in
addition to their stormwater management role.

6.5 Site furnshings

Site furnishings consist of all streetscape amenities in the
sidewalk, including: benches and seating, bicycle racks,
bollards, owerstands, kiosks, newsracks, parking meters,
public art, sidewalk restrooms, trac and parking signs,
trash receptacles, and signage and gateways. Generally, site
furnishings should be located in the furnishings zone. Site
furnishings should be considered design elements, and use
consistent, aesthetic design along a particular street or corridor. They should meet basic clearances and requirements
for accessibility, maintenance, and safety.

EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY

6.0 GUIDE: STREETSCAPE ELEMENTS

6.6 Utilities and driveways

6.3 Lighting
Street lighting is a key organizing element that denes
the daytime and nighttime environment and enhances
personal safety and security. Street lights should light the
entire right-of-way; specic pedestrian-oriented lighting is
appropriate in downtown, civic, and commercial areas with
high numbers of pedestrians. Lighting should be spaced
to optimize light distribution and not interfere with other
streetscape elements, particularly street trees. Street lights
should use energy ecient technologies, and minimize
light loss to the night sky. Lighting guidelines should be
further developed through a street lighting master plan.

Utilities and driveways are functional elements that provide

necessary access and facilities. Utilities may be poles, overhead wires, surface-mounted boxes, underground vaults,
mains and laterals. They are a necessary and ubiquitous
element of streetscape environments; however, they often
conict with other streetscape elements, and vice versa.
Utilities should be eciently located to minimize impacts
on other existing or potential streetscape elements, maintain basic access and maintenance requirements, and be
consolidated into shared vaults, boxes, or trenches wherever
possible. Likewise, driveways should be minimized and
located to avoid impacts to existing or potential streetscape
elements.

6.4 Paving
Paving materials in the pedestrian realm can be either
standard concrete or non-standard materials, such as brick,
stone, or unit pavers. Paving should be functionalstable,
rm, slip-resistant, and relatively easy to maintain. It may
also provide a unique design treatment, particularly on
special streets or in areas of the street environment meant
for pausing rather than walking through. Special paving
may be considered at transit stops, crosswalks, pedestrian
refuges, shared public ways, local lanes of boulevards,
transit malls, pedestrian-only streets, exibly used parking
lanes, curb extensions, or in the furnishings zone of the
sidewalk.

7.0 IMPLEMENTATION
Chapter 7 describes implementation measures necessary to carry out the vision of the Better Streets Plan,
including funding, maintenance, and enforcement strategies. The Controllers Oce report: Better Streets Plan:
Recommendations for Improved Streetscape Project
Planning, Design, Review and Approval contains additional implementation recommentations.

B E T T E R

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C H A P T E R

1.0

INTRODUCTION
The Better Streets Plan provides a blueprint for the future of
San Franciscos pedestrian environment. It describes a vision,
creates design guidelines, and identies next steps for the City
to take to create a truly great pedestrian realm.

INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
1.2 Plan Development
1.3 Moving Forward

What is a Better Street?

A Better Street is designed
and built to strike a balance
between all users regardless of
physical abilities or mode of
travel.
A Better Street attends to
the needs of people rst,
considering pedestrians,
bicyclists, transit, street trees,
stormwater management,
utilities, and livability as well
as vehicular circulation and
parking.

Background
BETTER STREETS PLAN PURPOSE

San Francisco is renowned for its quality of life, commitment to social equity and growing concern for
environmental sustainability. The Citys Charter declares
that transit, bicycle, and pedestrian use of street space take
precedence over private vehicle use. The City strives to

provide services, infrastructure, and lifestyle opportunities

for people from all walks and stages of life: families with
children, young professionals, senior citizens, and everyone
inbetween. These goals seek to maintain and enhance San
Franciscos role as one of the premier world cities.

CHAPTER 1.0

1.1

Streets make up fully 25% of San Franciscos land area,

more area even than is found in the citys parks. The Citys
streets are one of its most memorable features; the citys
famous hilly terrain is made all the more scenic by the
steady march of streets over its rolling topography to the
waters edge. However, the scenic vistas visible from and
along so many of the citys streets have made it too easy to
ignore the untapped potential of the streets themselves
San Franciscos streets are vastly underutilized resources.

As San Francisco continues to mature and evolve it faces

many challenges in supporting this vision of itself as a
world-class city. Families with children are leaving the city
more quickly than they are arriving. Pedestrian injuries
and fatalities continue to occur on busy streets. Many
neighborhoods lack open space for recreational activities
or places for neighbors to gather. The quality of streets
and public spaces is slowly deteriorating amid structural
budget decits. The need to address concerns about air and

Noe Street

B E T T E R

S T R E E T S

P L A N

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

PLAN BENEFITS
CHAPTER 1.0

water quality and global climate change grows increasingly

urgent each passing day. Well-designed streets that serve a
multitude of uses can help to address these concerns.
Each year, the City spends millions of dollars maintaining
and improving city streets, yet too often the streets serve
only a single purposethe movement of automobiles.
With improved planning and coordination, San Francisco
could use this money to transform its streets to meet the
Citys many objectives for streets, including enhancement
of all types of travel, improved ecological performance,
encouragement of physical activity for public health, and
restoring the streets rightful role as the heart of the citys
public life.
The Better Streets Plan provides a blueprint for achieving this multi-use vision of streets streets that continue
to function as corridors of movement while at the same
time reach their potential for enhanced community life,
recreational opportunities, and ecological benets. As San
Francisco continues to grow, the Better Streets Plan will
help to ensure that it can fulll its vision of a world-class
city one that is renowned not just for the views from its
streets, but for the quality of the streets themselves and the
vibrant public life that they foster.

The Better Streets Plan describes a set of guidelines for the

pedestrian realm. As street improvements are built over
time using the Better Streets Plan, the City will realize a
number of essential benets from improved street design.
These benets include:


Help retain families in San Francisco: Streets that

are safe from fast-moving trac, are clean and wellmaintained, and have spaces for neighbors to gather
or children to play will help to retain families in San
Francisco, much as aordable housing or good public
schools will do the same.
Support Muni and a transit-rst city: Every transit
trip begins and ends with a walking trip. Well
designed streets that are safe and convenient for
pedestrians and connect to important transit lines will
encourage greater use of the transit system.
Help promote public safety: Active streets that
provide eyes on the street will enhance peoples sense
of safety and security from crime and violence.
Help improve public health: Walkable, livable streets
encourage physical activity and social cohesion,
leading to a decrease in obesity, chronic diseases, and
social isolation.

What is the pedestrian environment?

The term pedestrian environment refers to the areas of
the street where people walk, shop, sit, play, or interact
outside of moving vehicles. Generally speaking, this refers
to the sidewalk areas between the property line and the
curb, and the crossing areas at intersections. However, the
pedestrian environment can also include portions of the
street normally associated with vehicular trafficsuch as
during street fairs or farmers markets, or the entire street
on small streets such as alleys or pedestrian pathways.

B E T T E R

S T R E E T S

P L A N

The pedestrian environment

Benefits of the
Better Streets Plan
 Help retain families in San Francisco
 Support Muni and a transit-first city
 Help promote public safety
 Help improve public health
 Help to minimize impact on global
climate change and local air pollution
 Help to minimize sewer/stormwater
overflows into the Bay
 Decrease the likelihood of pedestrian
injuries and fatalities
 Increase accessibility for all street users
 Support the Citys local shopping districts and small businesses
 Support neighborliness, civic interaction,
and identity
 Enhance the everyday quality of life for
San Franciscos residents

Help to minimize impact on global climate change

and local air pollution: Streets that are designed to
promote walking, cycling, and transit use over private
automobile use will help to minimize San Franciscos
contribution to global climate change and reduce local
air pollution.

Help to minimize sewer/stormwater overows into

the Bay: Streets can be designed to detain a certain
percentage of water during big storms, to reduce overows of the Citys combined stormwater and sewer
infrastructure into the bay and minimize local ooding problems.

Recent San Francisco projects such as Octavia Boulevard (top)

and Mint Plaza (bottom) show how streets can be transformed
into active and green public spaces

Decrease the likelihood of pedestrian injuries and

fatalities: Streets that are designed with the safety of
pedestrians in mind will decrease the likelihood of
pedestrian/auto collisions and the number of pedestrian injuries and fatalities that occur each year.

Increase accessibility for all street users: Streets that

have a clear, accessible path of travel and are free
from barriers and obstructions will result in increased
usability for all users, including people with disabilities, seniors, children, parents with strollers, and
everyone else.

Support the Citys local shopping districts and small

businesses: A street system that encourages people to
walk to neighborhood commercial districts rather than
drive to regional shopping centers for their daily needs
helps to support the small commercial areas and small
businesses that make up an important part of San
Franciscos character and economy.

Provide open space in areas that are lacking: There is

increasing pressure on the Citys existing open spaces,
and a need for open space in new neighborhoods. The
citys street system can complement and link to the
larger open space network, bringing more open space
to underserved neighborhoods.

Support neighborliness, civic interaction, and

identity: Cities depend on peaceful interactions of
colleagues, neighbors, and strangers who share a collective identity and pride as the residents of a place.
Well-designed streets that include places to sit, stop,
gather, and play create the spaces for this interaction
to take place.

Enhance the everyday quality of life for San

Franciscos residents: Above all, a well-designed
street system will enhance the Citys livability for San
Franciscos residents, workers, and visitors, by providing pleasant places to stroll or sit, opportunities for
neighborly interaction, freedom from excessive noise
and pollution, and a green, attractive cityscape.

CHAPTER 1.0

1.1 BACKGROUND

For the Better Streets Plan to help achieve these benets,

the City must reform many of its current standards, guidelines, and practices relating to street design, construction
and maintenance. These practices, standards and guidelinesfound in the Citys codes, plans, and departmental
ordersare strong determinants of the resulting street
environment that we see and use everyday. Many of these
codes are old or out of date, and often conict with one
another. Many were adopted during times when thinking
about streets, technologies, and ecological best practices
was dierent than it is today, and often reect a single-use
vision for streets that does not account for the multitude of
uses that streets can serve.
The Better Streets Plan seeks to balance and reconcile
these codes while considering all potential street uses; the
legislation accompanying the Better Streets Plan adoption
updated many of these codes.
Additionally, there must be an on-going commitment from
the City to ensure that future changes to the public rightof-way are consistent with the Better Streets Plan. This
document provides a guide for City agencies, community
members, and private developers and anyone else making
changes to the pedestrian realm. This guide must be complemented with an on-going commitment from the Citys
elected ocials and department heads to funding, stang,
building, and maintaining Better Streets improvements.

B E T T E R

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PLAN HIGHLIGHTS
DISTINCTIVE, UNIFIED
OVERALL DESIGN

CHAPTER 1.0

 Integrated site furnishings [ Section 6.5 ]

 Pedestrian-oriented lighting [ 6.3 ]
 Minimize site cluttering [ 6.5 ]

CREATIVE USE OF
PARKING LANE

 Flexible use for cafe seating [ 5.6 ]

 Permanent mini-plazas [ 5.3 ]
 Landscaping in the parking lane [ 6.1 ]

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SPACE FOR PUBLIC LIFE

 Reclaim excess street space for public use [ 5.8 ]

 Safe public seating for neighborhood gathering
[ 6.5 ]

 Merchant participation [ 6.5 ]

ECOLOGY

PEDESTRIAN SAFETY

 Visible crossings [ 5.1 ]

 Slower turning speed [ 5.2 ]
 Shorter crossing distances [ 5.3 ]

EXTENSIVE GREENING

 Stormwater management [ 6.2 ]

 Permeable materials [ 6.2 ]

 Healthy urban forest [ 6.1 ]

 Expanded sidewalk plantings [ 6.1 ]

 Streets as habitats [ 6.1 ]

 Utility consolidation [ 6.6 ]

PEDESTRIAN PRIORITY

 Shared public ways [ 5.8 ]

 Temporary or permanent street closures [ 5.8 ]
 Raised crossings [ 5.1 ]

INTEGRATING PEDS
AND TRANSIT

 TTransitit rider
id amenities
iti [ 5.5 ]
 Bus bulbouts and boarding islands [ 5.5 ]
 Safe, convenient routes to transit [ 5.5 ]

UNIVERSAL DESIGN

 Generous, unobstructed sidewalks [ 4.2 ]

 Curb ramps for all users [ 5.1 ]
 Accessible pedestrian signals [ 5.1 ]

RECLAIMING EXCESS
STREET SPACE

 Street parks and new plazas [ 5.8 ]

 Traffic circles [ 5.7 ]
 Landscaped medians [ 5.4 ]

1.1 BACKGROUND

The Better Streets Plan posits a new manner of designing and

building streets in San Francisco. Streets should be designed
with greater agency coordination, and individual decisions
should add up to an integrated whole that prioritizes the needs
of people. Each design or management decision should bring
the City closer to the collective vision for streets.

Business as usual

PROCESS

Streets in San Francisco are regulated and managed by a variety

of agencies, reflecting specific areas of expertise. Although this
is sometimes necessary to provide specific technical know-how,
there is no one body coordinating streetscape design projects.
As a result, individual decisions about street design, use, prioritization, and management do not add up to streets that reflect
the Citys goals for the character of our streets.

As a follow-up action to the Better Streets Plan, the Controllers

Office has analyzed the Citys street design process and made
recommendations for its improvement. See the Controllers
Office report: Better Streets Plan: Recommendations for
Improved Streetscape Planning, Design, Review, and Approval,
available at www.sfbetterstreets.org.

Better Streets Plan

Independent agencies with competing goals

Coordinated agencies working toward citywide goals

Lack of overall framework for street improvements

Integrated framework for street improvements

Lack of coordination for street programming and

funding

Coordinated programming and funding for street

improvements

Ad hoc coordination on street design and use

Centralized coordination on street design and use

Planning for individual elements

Planning for streets as a whole

Competing visions for streets/lack of overall

vision for streets

Unied vision for streets

City priorities not clearly dened

Citywide priorities clearly dened

Uncoordinated use of City resources

Ecient use of City resources

CHAPTER 1.0

Street Delivery in San Francisco

RESULT

More numerous and more complete street projects

Cluttering streetscape elements

Multi-purpose projects with greater competitiveness for funding

Streets with lack of unifying aesthetic

Streets that do not serve well as public spaces

Unied street design

Lack of greenery

Fewer cluttering streetscape elements

Lack of ecological functioning

Streets with a healthy public realm

Increased greenery and ecological functioning
Enhanced safety and accessibility

Jurisdiction over streets is divided among numerous agencies,

including those shown here, and others as well

B E T T E R

S T R E E T S

P L A N

This photo-simulation
illustrates how the Better
Streets Plan guidelines
could be applied to a typical
mixed-use San Francisco
street to improve the
pedestrian environment

Photosimulations
are for visualization
purposes only, and
are not intended to
show specific details
and dimensions

This photo-simulation
illustrates how the Better
Streets Plan guidelines
could be applied to
improve the pedestrian
environment on a typical
residential San Francisco
street

The Better Streets Plan

is a partnership among
City departments and
agencies, with the goal
of coordinating and
streamlining the Citys
street design processes and
resulting in a more gracious
pedestrian realm.

Plan Development

1.2

CHAPTER 1.0

HISTORY OF THE PLAN

In February 2006, the Board of Supervisors passed the
Better Streets Policy (Administrative Code Section
98.1shown in Attachment A), which requires the City to
consider the multiple objectives for streets in all decisions
about the public right-of-way. Responding to this policy,
City departments joined together to work on the Better
Streets Plan, to provide a single comprehensive, consistent
set of guidance for the design of the pedestrian realm.

Agency (SFMTA), San Francisco Public Utilities

Commission (SFPUC), Department of Public Works
(DPW), Department of Public Health (DPH), Mayors
Oce on Disability (MOD), Mayors Oce on City
Greening, and the San Francisco County Transportation
Authority (SFCTA). Sta from each of these agencies (the
Better Streets team) met bi-weekly to develop the plan,
and gave frequent updates to Department leadership.

Work on the Better Streets Plan began in Fall 2006, with

a public kick-o in April 2007. The Better Streets Plan
Draft for Public Review was published in June 2008, Plan
Revisions in October 2009, and the Final Draft in July
2010. The Better Streets Plan and accompanying amendments to the Citys General Plan and Municipal Codes
were adopted by the Board of Supervisors on December 7,
2010.

The Better Streets team convened a wider Technical

Advisory Committee (TAC) of over 50 sta from 15 City
departments who work in design and management of the
public right-of-way. The Better Streets Plan TAC met multiple times over the course of the project to comment on
the technical feasibility of plan proposals.

The Better Streets Plan is a unique collaboration among

all of the agencies involved in the funding, design, and
management of streets citywide, including the Planning
Department, San Francisco Municipal Transportation

Additionally, the Better Streets team convened a 15

member Community Advisory Committee, which met
monthly over a two-year period to provide input into plan
as it was developed. Finally, the Better Streets Team held
a signicant public outreach program, summarized in the
following section.

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11

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

SUMMARY OF PUBLIC OUTREACH

CHAPTER 1.0

In order to create the Better Streets Plan, the Better Streets

Team conducted signicant community involvement
eorts to present plan concepts and gather public input.
Over ve rounds of community involvement, the Better
Streets Team held over 100 community meetings, and
received over 1,000 responses to two Better Streets Plan
surveys.
Mayor Gavin Newsom kicked o the community involvement for the Better Streets Plan in April 2007, at a project
kick-o meeting at City Hall attended by over 200
members of the public. Following the kick-o meeting, in
April through June 2007, City agencies held four public
workshops around the city, seven focus groups, and over
25 neighborhood meetings with community groups by
request.
The second round of outreach took place from July
through September 2007, and consisted of over 40 events,
including focus groups, stakeholder interviews with a
variety of advocacy and community organizations, neighborhood meetings with community groups, street-side
tabling events, and a youth walking tour.
In June 2008, Mayor Gavin Newsom formally released
the Draft Better Streets Plan for Public Review at a public
event in Mint Plaza. Following the plan release event,
the Better Streets Team held a third round of outreach to

gather feedback on the Draft Plan, consisting of several

community meetings and a walking tour. The fourth round
of outreach, held in October 2009 to coincide with the
release of the Plan Revisions, consisted of public informational hearings to the Citys Boards and Commissions, and
public discussions hosted by local organizations. The fth
and nal round of outreach involved public hearings to
adopt the Plan and associated legislative amendments.
A full list of community meetings is included in Appendix
D.
Through the public outreach, participants could give their
input in multiple ways, including facilitated small group
exercises, comment boards, questions and answer sessions,
surveys, comment sheets, and informal discussion and
correspondence.
Respondents to the rst Better Streets Plan survey rated the
ve most important street improvements as:


street trees;

greenery (landscaping other than trees);

sidewalk maintenance;

clear sidewalks (free from obstructions); and

slower trac.

Round 1 Survey Responses:

Average Score for Street Improvements
(Scale of 1 to 7, 7 being most important)
Trees

5.6

Greenery

5.4

Sidewalk Maintenance

5.3

Blocked Sidewalks

5.3

Slower Traffic

5.3

Pedestrian Lighting

5.1

Places to Sit

5.0

Crosswalk Conditions

5.0

Sidewalk Materials

4.8

Countdown Signals

4.8

Wider Sidewalks

4.6

Narrow Street Crossings

4.1

Curb Ramps

4.0

A broader
summary of
community
input is
included in
Appendix D.

Better Streets Plan kick-off event

at City Hall (left) and street-side
tabling event (right)

12

B E T T E R

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1.2 PLAN DEVELOPMENT

The Better Streets Team held

over 100 public meetings and
events across the city. Each
red dot marks the location of a
Better Streets public outreach
event (some locations held
multiple events)

CHAPTER 1.0

Community Involvement
Milestones to Date
 5 rounds of community involvement
 Over 100 community meetings
 Over 500 attendees
 Over 1,000 responses to two Better
Streets Plan surveys

Participants at the
Better Streets Plan
youth walking tour

ADA Transition Plan Outreach

In coordination with the Better Streets Plan, the
CIty conducted public outreach to provide input
to the Citys ADA Transition Plans for Curb Ramps
and Sidewalks, which describe the Citys priorities
for installing accessible curb-ramps and barrier-free
sidewalks. Five meetings were hosted by community organizations and directed at seniors and
people with mobility, visual, or cognitive impairments.
Participants were asked their priorities for installing
these features.

The priority improvements identified by participants included:

 install new curb ramps instead of fixing existing (unless unsafe);
 focus on high-need areas throughout the city instead of moving
district-by-district;

For more information on the ADA Transition Plans

for Curb Ramps and Sidewalks, see:
http://www.sfgov.org/site/mod_index.asp?id=36604

 fix sidewalks broken by tree roots;

 provide accessible wayfinding signage;
 remove obstructions such as low branches, parked cars, tables,
merchant signs and displays, and bikes and skateboards;

B E T T E R

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13

Moving Forward

1.3

The Better Streets Plan provides a comprehensive vision

and guidelines for the design of the Citys pedestrian realm.
However, it is not enough for the City to simply adopt the
Better Streets Plan. The City must also follow through to
consistently use the Better Streets Plan and build projects
that adhere to the Plans vision.
To achieve this, the City should take a number of additional steps. Some of these steps are already funded and
on-going; others have not yet begun and lack adequate
funding.

Improve the Citys street design process

The Better Streets Plan process has illustrated how City
agencies can work together in the design of streets.
However, it has also highlighted the challenges of doing so

CHAPTER 1.0

FUTURE ACTIONS
on an on-going basis. The Better Streets Team is working
with the Controllers Oce to study the Citys existing
street design and maintenance process and make recommendations for its improvement. See the Controllers
Oce report, available at www.sfbetterstreets.org.

Develop a Better Streets Plan user guide and

interactive website
The City should create a user-friendly guide and website
to easily communicate the relevant guidelines, permits
and resources in one place to anyone proposing to make
changes to the public right-of-way. The Better Streets Plan
is a living document and will be amended over time to
reect new thinking. The user guide and website would
be updated accordingly, such that there is a single, comprehensive location for information about making street
changes.

Moving Forward:
Summary
 Improve the Citys street
design process
 Develop Better Streets Plan
user guide and website
 Develop implementation and
funding framework
 Develop additional technical
plans (street and pedestrian
lighting, street furnishings,
roadway design manual)

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15

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Develop a funding and implementation program

CHAPTER 1.0

Using information from on-going planning eorts,

long-range plans, and capital projects, the City should
coordinate among agencies to develop a set of priorities,
specic implementation projects, and a long-term capital
plan for street improvements, recognizing opportunities to
combine funding sources into single projects for cost eciency and completeness. The City should identify existing
and potential new funding sources for pedestrian realm
improvements.

Develop additional technical guidance

The Better Streets Plan provides high-level guidance on
how to design and layout the pedestrian realm. These
guidelines complement existing City street design
guidance, such as the Bicycle Plan design guidelines,
Stormwater Design Guidelines, and Trac Calming
Guidelines. City guidelines that are not consistent with
the Better Streets Plan should be amended to make them
consistent.
In addition, the City should create guidelines for areas of
the right-of-way that are not covered by the Better Streets
Plan or other existing guidelines, including the development of:

16

street furnishings palette;

street and pedestrian lighting plan;

roadway design manual.

B E T T E R

S T R E E T S

P L A N

PAYING FOR BETTER STREETS IMPROVEMENTS

The Better Streets Plans premise is that streets and sidewalks must be improved comprehensively to meet a variety
of functions, in a way that oers a safe and pleasant experience for everyone using them. To achieve this in any
signicant and ecient measure requires an agreed upon
plan, which depends for its success and implementation on
the full range of partners who make changes to the street:
individuals and community groups through their personal
interests in improving their immediate streetscapes, the
development community as a condition of their right to
build, the City through its capital improvement program,
and the integrated actions of utilities working in the public
realm.
For those streetscape improvements initiated by the City,
the holistic improvements envisioned in the Better Streets
Plan will require signicant amounts of funding to build
and maintain. Despite record investments in capital
improvements proposed over the next decade, the City has
an estimated $885 million of deferred capital improvements required to merely maintain the citys streets and
right-of-ways in their current condition. Funding this
backlog alone would require more than doubling this historic investment and would only bring our infrastructure
to current standards, not the signicantly higher standards
envisioned within this document.
Complete streetscape improvements currently cost several
million dollars per block to construct. For publicly funded
projects, funding sources for these improvements (including transportation sales tax funds and federal and state
grant sources) are limited. This means the City can only
improve a select number of streets with Better Streetstype improvements each year at current funding levels.
(Private developers and community members may also
build or improve streets, constituting a signicant source of
streetscape improvements.)

Given limited capital funding, this may require signicant trade-os and decision points: should there be fewer
projects with a more complete set of improvements, or
a greater number with fewer improvements per street?
Should a project cross an entire corridor, or just a few
blocks? Which streetscape elements or corridors should
be prioritized? The Better Streets Plan posits that street
improvements should be made holistically, such that
improvements have a greater impact and capital and
operating eciencies can be realizedhowever, it is important to note the trade-os that this entails given funding
limitations.
As a next step to the Better Streets Plan, the City should
develop a recommended program for implementing the
envisioned improvements. That program must be integrated into the citys ten-year capital plan so that it can
be appropriately prioritized and adequately coordinated
within the citys larger capital planning program. Moreover,
the operating budget impacts of any capital improvements
must be identied and funded prior to implementation.
Securing sustained maintenance funding is essential to
ensuring the viability and durability of any improvements
such as those contemplated in this document.
The City must address funding and set realistic priorities as part of its capital planning process for what can be
accomplished. The need for higher funding levels will pose
a challenge. Currently available resources and funding
levels will greatly limit our ability to accomplish more than
a fraction of the desired improvements in the foreseeable
future.
But it is important to get started. Other thriving cities have
realized that prosperity depends on safe, convenient, and
pleasant ways of getting aboutand are further along on
improving their public realm. San Franciscos future is tied
to functional, attractive streets and sidewalks. The Better
Streets Plan is a key rst step in this important journey.

1.3 MOVING FORWARD

The pedestrian character and quality of place for a given

street is determined as much by the design of the roadway
between the curbs as by what happens on the sidewalk.
Factors such as numbers of lanes, lane widths, design
and posted speeds, number of directions (one-way or twoway), and how the roadway is split among different travel
modes (transit, bicycles, vehicles) exert a great influence on
pedestrian safety and quality. There are many opportunities
across the City to enhance the pedestrian realm by putting
streets on a road diet: removing vehicle travel lanes and
increasing sidewalk space, bicycle and transit lanes, and
other amenities.
The Better Streets Plan does not directly address these
roadway design issues, focusing instead on the pedestrian
realm of sidewalks and crossings. It is an important step
that will lay the groundwork for future plans and projects.
It represents a manageable piece to begin to bring the
multitude of City agencies, community members, private
developers, and advocates together to begin the work of
improving the Citys streets, and to provide a comprehensive resource on streetscape and pedestrian design that the
city currently lacks.
Although they are complex subjects in themselves, the policies and guidelines in the BSP are likely to have greater
public acceptance, present fewer conflicts among various
City agencies, and be generally simpler than the pieces that
may follow politically and technically difficult decisions
about street classifications, levels of service, or assigning
roadway right-of-way among various travel modes. This
plan is intended to begin the public dialogue and create the
strong interagency and public relationships to make subsequent steps more feasible.
The areas of the street covered by the Better Streets Plan
can be shaped by individual community members or developers, who have rights and obligations tied to management
of the sidewalk realm. The Better Streets Plan focuses
on this realm such that the basic amenities (trees, lights,

CHAPTER 1.0

Roadway Standards:
Designing the Entire Right-of-Way
curb-cuts, paving materials, path clearances) we value collectively are supported and maintained by the individual
interests who have some independent control over them.
NEXT STEPS
For any holistic re-design of a complete street from property line to property line, the Better Streets Plan tools must
be coupled with thoughtful decisions on what happens
between the curbs. The Better Streets Plan identifies several
potential next steps to complete the Citys thinking on street
design through to encompass the entire street. These projects will require significant commitment, time and budget
from the City. Funding has not yet been identified, but the
City recognizes that these are necessary steps to achieve a
world-class street system.
Potential next steps may include:
 create a roadway design manual (City policies for
street classifications, roadway dimensions, and rightof-way allocation);
 update of the Transportation Element of the San
Francisco General Plan (and associated roadway networks and classifications);
 update to Traffic Calming Guidelines (including guidelines and/or standard plans for features not specifically
called-out in the Better Streets Plan); and
 reform transportation analysis in environmental review
to consider measures that prioritize transit, bicycles,
and pedestrians.
By taking these steps, the City can create a comprehensive
set of street design guidance that considers the entire rightof-way from property line to property line and prioritizes
pedestrian, bicycle, and transit over auto travel per the
Citys Transit-First Policy.

B E T T E R

S T R E E T S

P L A N

17