STREET DESIGN: GATEWAYS

CIVIC CENTER GATEWAYS

Civic Center has a unique and special civic character that should be designed to welcome everyone, residents and visitors alike. There are several areas and intersections where, when you reach them, you suddenly realize you have arrived in the Civic Center district. Few of these key places serve as welcoming and distinctive district gateways today, however, as can be seen from the images at right. Today’s gateway on the main central Civic Center Axis are more formalized, but still have clear room for improvement.

The Public Realm Plan has identified 8 areas and intersections, indicated in the diagram below, to be enhanced as special gateways unique to the district.

8 UN Plaza, at Market Street
UN Plaza
7 War Memorial Courtyard
War Memorial Courtyard
6 Polk and McAllister
Polk and McAllister Street
5 Grove and Franklin
Grove and Franklin Street
4 Larkin and McAllister
Larkin and McAllister Street
3 Grove/Hyde and Market
Grove/Hyde and Market Street
2 Polk and Market
Polk and Market Street
1 Larkin and Market
Larkin and Market Street
CIVIC CENTER GATEWAYS

POTENTIAL DISTRICT GATEWAYS

Highlight the special character of the major entry and exit intersections to Civic Center through unique streetscape gateway designs that welcome all visitors to the district

1 Larkin and Market

2 Polk and Market

3 Grove/Hyde and Market

4 Larkin and McAllister

5 Grove and Franklin

6 Polk and McAllister

CENTRAL AXIS GATEWAYS

Highlight the special character of the central axis of Civic Center through unique gateway designs that welcome all visitors to the district

7 War Memorial Courtyard

8 UN Plaza, at Market St

WAR MEMORIAL COURTYARD

On-street parking at the western edge of the War Memorial Courtyard creates an uninviting and ambiguous gateway for pedestrians; The City Team is studying ways to improve this area by converting parking into public space

EXISTING

FRANKLIN STREET

FULTON STREET

Existing Memorial Court

War Memorial Courtyard and accessibility

Raised crosswalks improve pedestrian crossing while calming traffic

Bulbout with planted buffer edge improves pedestrian safety and accessibility.

Durable, elegant, and smooth paving creates a flexible use plaza and cues vehicles to drive slowly.

Raising the roadway to sidewalk level creates a continuous plaza surface that increases flexibility for events.

Durable, elegant, and smooth paving creates a flexible use plaza and cues vehicles to drive slowly.

Raising the roadway to sidewalk level creates a continuous plaza surface that increases flexibility for events.

CONCEPTUAL DESIGN

Existing Memorial Court
(Unchanged)

ADA Parking

Parking

FULTON STREET

FRANKLIN STREET

ISSUES TODAY

The intersection of Franklin and Fulton is challenged with pedestrian safety and accessibility issues, including long crossing distances, a narrow and cluttered pedestrian island, and dangerous vehicular shortcuts through the War Memorial Parking lot. It is important that a redesign of this space maintain the operational functionality required by the cultural institutions.

CONCEPTUAL DESIGN

Regrade and repave the existing pathways and roadway to create a flexible use plaza that forms a beautiful civic gateway between Hayes Valley and the War Memorial Complex.

The plaza would accommodate the existing function and operations of the War Memorial Complex, such as vehicular access and loading, as well as a new range of events and programming.

Parking would be moved to the sides of the space to restore the significant view axis towards the Veterans Memorial and City Hall beyond.