PDR & The Public Realm examines San Francisco’s growing PDR (Production, Distribution, and Repair) districts and public realm conflicts that emerge from increasing land use intensity in these districts. For example, greater traffic (be it foot or vehicular) often conflicts with freight and truck activity, which are vital operations of many industrial business types. Yet, truck movement can also pose dangers, particularly to pedestrians and cyclists. Parking is another source of conflict. In short, accommodating greater density and mixture of uses in PDR districts requires the public realm to be examined.
Light industrial businesses contribute many economic, cultural, and social benefits, such as quality low-barrier employment opportunities, but carry unique building, land use, and locational requirements. With land use intensification that may affect PDR business operation, as well as increasing land values and rental costs, PDR businesses face extreme displacement pressure. The report builds off PDR building standards I worked on while interning with San Francisco’s Planning Department and analyzes street design and urban planning literature, codes and standards, and precedents to propose a number of policy and design recommendations.
Stemming from these recommendations, potential design interventions are applied along a two-block stretch of Rhode Island Street, which serves major public transit routes, in Showplace Square’s Design District. An in-depth context analysis of the greater Design District study area was conducted and, while this area of Showplace Square hosts a number of showroom and design-oriented PDR functions, it is becoming home to an increasing number of professional and office firms, which generally require lower parking allocations.
Scenario 1 Rhode Island & Alameda, looking south – before
Scenario 1 Rhode Island & Alameda, looking south – after
Rhode Island section diagrams, looking north
The interventions focus on improving transit safety and strategically allocating portions of parking for flexible use to serve loading, parking, shared mobility docking, or worker/public gathering at varying times. A series of before and after diagrams depict how these interventions are targeted and the difference they make.
One scenario, shown above, adds a curb extension for a bus stop obscured and impacted by car parking and uses striping to demark travel lanes from loading zones. Curbside flex zones allow greater loading at peak times, as well as passenger drop-off, parking, and more.
Scenario 2 Rhode Island & former rail spur easement – before
Scenario 2 Rhode Island & former rail spur easement – after
Easement section diagrams, looking northwest
Another scenario is more transformative and imagines acquisition of a former rail easement-turned-parking lot to become a shared street. The shared street allows greater pedestrian through zone and open space (much lacking in the area) while preserving loading and parking stalls. The shared street can also be flexibly apportioned and divided by movable bollards while maintaining a 20’ travel lane, based on shifting needs throughout the day and week, allowing a range of activities such as public gathering and enjoyment, employee breaks, business loading and parking, and events, including design, art, or trade shows.