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#DESIGN4EQUITY: Okay, we’ve gone over systems that continue to create unequal spaces in our environment. Now for some ideas to improve this. I was first nervous to post this part because I felt unqualified, but the discussion needs to start somewhere. So PART TWO: WHAT TO DO!
DO 1: GO TO THE COMMUNITY. Planning meetings happen during the day when most people have to work. Most people won’t get to take time out of their day even with evening meetings. That’s for PTA president-type folks - the overwhelming voice you’ll hear. https://sfgov.org/entertainment/sites/default/files/FileCenter/Documents/1701-CommunityOutreach.pdf
DO 1: GO TO THE COMMUNITY. Go to local businesses. Go to apartments. Callers flood my phone and people stand at corners during elections to push a candidate or ballot. How about for community design input? (Less aggressive than election year hustling tho) https://sfgov.org/entertainment/sites/default/files/FileCenter/Documents/1701-CommunityOutreach.pdf
DO 1: GO TO THE COMMUNITY. I witnessed a creative community input solution in Austin, Texas for the Seagram development. The public could draw or write what they wanted to see on site plans and renderings. A pleasant time was had. I didn’t even see one dick doodle.
DO 2: HOUSE THE HOMELESS. I don’t know why this needs so much argument. Yes, it will be an undertaking, but why is the current situation better than that? Some ideas for this undertaking…
DO 2: HOUSE THE HOMELESS. Legalize encampments. We cannot house everyone right now, but we can at least stop treating it like a crime to exist while homeless. COVID-19 forced this in San Francisco, but it should not go away when the virus threat does. https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/san-francisco-sanctions-once-shunned-homeless-encampments/2295154/
DO 2: HOUSE THE HOMELESS. More Navigation Centers! This allows people to set up tents in a fenced off, safe environment. It also gives social workers a chance to connect with clients and help them out of homelessness and into a stable life. http://hsh.sfgov.org/services/emergencyshelter/navigation-centers/
DO 2: HOUSE THE HOMELESS. More Affordable Housing! And what better excuse for a ~*Design Competition*~?! Architects seriously need to divert attention away from wealthy clients and toward communities that need their efforts the most. The chance to design cool things will do that.
DO 3: PLAN FOR DIY SOLUTIONS. We know illegal housing exists, and we turn a blind eye, because the problem is so hard. Speak up, and where will people go go? What if we improve housing in-place for life safety issues, at no cost to inhabitants (skeevy landlords - another story)
DO 3: PLAN FOR DIY SOLUTIONS. How can we do this? Luckily, there’s some precedents. San Francisco’s legalizing in-law units program removes violation fines if you volunteer to permit existing illegal units. Let’s expand this. https://sfdbi.org/UnitLegalization#:~:text=Established%20in%20May%202014%2C%20unauthorized,life-safety%20conditions%20are%20met.
DO 3: PLAN FOR DIY SOLUTIONS. San Diego took it a step further. That floorplan? That’s one of several pre-approved floor plans ready to build as an accessory unit to increase housing stock. Imagine this as a unit you could plug into existing buildings. https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/ramona-sentinel/news/story/2019-09-25/county-offers-free-pre-approved-housing-plans
DO 4: “BROKEN WINDOW” FIXING & REFRAMING. Let’s start with fixing, and with an infamous SF neighborhood: The Tenderloin. We think of this locally as the extreme example of urban blight, but its first destruction was by the 1906 earthquake and fire. https://285turkstreet.com/history-of-the-tenderloin/
DO 4: “BROKEN WINDOW” FIXING. It rebuilt with quasi-legal businesses - gambling, brothels, etc. But that kind of crime didn’t break the neighborhood. It was the ritziest spot in SF. Cracking down on that crime broke the neighborhood. https://www.kqed.org/news/11665527/why-hasnt-the-tenderloin-gentrified-like-the-rest-of-san-francisco
DO 4: “BROKEN WINDOW” FIXING. With a dearth of storefronts came a dearth of eyes on the streets, and the crime went to the streets. So SF broke the window. How about investing in the businesses trying to fill that area again? Let’s fix the window. https://www.kqed.org/news/11665527/why-hasnt-the-tenderloin-gentrified-like-the-rest-of-san-francisco
DO 4: “BROKEN WINDOW” REFRAMING. Let’s travel to Porto, Portugal’s housing project by Alvaro Siza, one of my favorite buildings. Check that graffiti. Siza LOVES graffiti, and encouraged it with a blank wall. Let’s reconsider what counts as crime. https://www.dezeen.com/2018/03/29/photography-alvaro-siza-saal-bouca-social-housing-porto/
DO 5: CELEBRATE COMMUNITY. Shop local, and get to know the small business owners and workers. Support the culture there. Go to art events - they are fun and often have wine and always have cool people. Take an architecture tour and learn about the history of your neighborhood.
DO 5: CELEBRATE COMMUNITY. And farmers markets?? Oh those are great. The produce is cheaper and better than grocery stores. You get to be outside (less risk of COVID!). There’s often other community events going on. Live music, art events, and food trucks. https://cuesa.org/article/mission-community-market-faq
DO 5: CELEBRATE COMMUNITY. Entrepreneurial individuals bring people together. We should build them up. Tamale Lady brought much-needed carbs and life advice to late night bar-goers. And what is a day in Dolores Park without Coconut Guy mixing you an island beverage on the spot?
DO 5: CELEBRATE COMMUNITY. These kinds of operations still have nebulous legality. We’ve seen what happens to neighborhoods when cracking down takes these staples away. Let’s make them more legit. https://missionlocal.org/2019/02/californias-homemade-act-would-aid-street-vendors-but-no-county-has-yet-taken-steps-to-enact-it/
DO 6: DIVERSITY OF PERSPECTIVES AND ECONOMICS. People won’t empathize with a group they never have to see, and unfortunately American neighborhoods are designed so the affluent never have to be around anyone struggling. So we are going to have to make big moves to change that.
DO 6: DIVERSITY. I was amazed how many more financial doors open when you own property. Property = wealth access in America. And we’ve ensured those who have held property the longest see the biggest growth in wealth. Like with Prop 13 in California. https://eh.net/encyclopedia/history-of-property-taxes-in-the-united-states/
DO 6: DIVERSITY. Can we rethink how property taxes increase over time? Middle class folks hold onto houses instead of downsizing here because they cannot afford the tax hike. Meanwhile, mansions get passed down for generations and see minimal tax increase.
DO 6: DIVERSITY. This held up housing also keeps racial divides in neighborhoods. Black folks were redlined out of housing back when it was more affordable. Can we change the face of our housing stock? My radical dream below... economists please weigh in on what is feasible here!
DO SUMMARY: A heard community will get better designs for their needs. Prioritize those most in need of shelter. Help make creative housing solutions safe and out in the open. Improve infrastructure and invest in maintaining buildings. Re-examine “blight”
DO SUMMARY: Celebrate the community, its history, and its growth. Encourage diversity within that growth. When people feel heard, cared for, and that they truly belong, the community can thrive.
