SITELAB Urban Studios
I explored how public spaces were used across 3 urban regions in SF, and came up with placemaking opportunities to enhance community life.
Team: Maitri Shah, Tara Bhatia, Jessie Mindel, and Heidi Dong (mentor)
Role
UX Research Consultant
Sprint Leader (user research)
Timeline
September — December 2019 (8 weeks)
Tools
Figma
01 Background
SITELAB is an urban design firm that approached us to apply human-centered design outside of our classic user-interface projects. Through extensive research, I learned from peoples' stories of their daily lives in San Francisco, spaces that bring communities together, and issues that many overlook when they come across the grandeur of a city.
You can view my full project here on my design consulting club's Behance.
I wanted to use this page to delve into the research, and some of my takeaways.
The Challenge
How might we serve a broader community by re-envisioning placemaking beyond traditional retail?
Stakeholders
Native San Franciscans that understood local culture, tourists, the homeless, and shop owners
Areas of Focus
Mid-Market
Mission District
Mission Bay
02 Study Design
Our first steps were to gather as much information as we could about the three areas given, and plan out research methods to accomplish our goals:
-
Understand local culture and it's influence in public life
What brings people together in each area? What history is there behind them? -
Learn about each area's demographic and socioeconomic history
Learn more about the people there before creating a space for them -
Observe the distribution of public spaces and their uses
The concentration of local shops vs. chains, empty spaces, multi-use areas, etc.
A closer look
We were initially given a much larger region for our project's focus, but due to time constraints, narrowed down the focus to three streets with our client:
Aside from our background knowledge, we wanted to learn as much as we could directly from SF residents. Stakeholders such as local shop owners and long-time residents were especially important, since they have insights over a much larger timeframe than others. This became a favorite part of my project, since I got to talk to many different people and learn from their stories.
Methodology
To accomplish our main research goals, we laid out the best ways to collect a well-rounded repository of information:
-
Survey
Understand what factors attract people to urban spaces and what they value in a community space -
Field Day
Immerse ourselves in the three regions to learn from the locals themselves, and how community spaces were activated -
Interview
Speak to SF locals and survey respondents open to further conversation about their perspective on their neighborhoods
Key Survey Insights
Not at all
Occasionally
Frequently
Every day
How often do you visit the following spaces?
Cafe
Restaurants
Local Merchants
15
5
10
Neighborhood Services
Retail Stores
15
5
10
Other
"Other" spaces included museums, parks, nature, temples, and nonprofit associations. We didn't specify the setting of these spaces as the city to understand what other spaces people had in mind, which helped us better frame our in-person interviews.
What qualities stand out in these places?
Wi-Fi
Convenience
Sociability
Activity Variety
Affordability
Natural Lighting
Accessibility
Most common responses among 32 respondents. The top row qualities were the most mentioned aspects of a public space, especially resonating with cafes.
We also asked an open question about memorable streets/neighborhoods. Most people responded with experiences from public spaces, which included many of the above qualities — exploring streets with a variety of food and drink, catching up with friends in outdoor cafes, and attending public events.
However, I think this open question could have been better phrased as I look back, since many people responded with experiences from their hometown neighborhoods and other non-city spaces. However, we still got a good idea of how people enjoyed spending time with other people. We got to specifically understand experiences in the city through our field study and in-person interviews.
Field Day Approach
Our team started walking on one end of the street, and made our way across in two groups, observing each side. At the end, we discussed our findings and switched sides on the walk back to note anything else we had missed.
The following indicators helped us understand how people interacted and where they formed communities. Our design challenge was to re-envision placemaking beyond traditional retail, so aside from observing people, we also looked at how certain building facades affect public space engagement.
-
Areas of congregation
-
Building facade activation
-
Commercial vs. community serving spots
-
People moving count
-
Inclusivity
Heat Maps
To gain an understanding of the big picture on urban landscape, we categorized every space on each of the streets into the following:
-
Community serving
-
Commercial use
-
Empty spaces
-
Community oriented
-
Hotspots for congregation
The difference between community serving and oriented is that the former provides general services to the public, while the latter provided resources to activate community in public spaces. For example, food courts and BART are community serving, but community gardens and the farmer's market community oriented. However, the primary distinction we made that helped us generalize trends in the use of space are the first two categories. Creating this visualization helped us see how public spaces were distributed across each region and how many actually helped activate community.
Mid-Market
Community serving
Commercial use
Empty spaces
Community oriented
Hotspots for congregation
-
Central hub for corporations, resulting in many services catered to tech workers
-
Subtle exclusivity in outdoor spaces preventing gatherings on the sidewalk
-
Most congregation occurred indoors, aside from the farmer's market (purple)
Mission District
Community serving
Commercial use
Empty spaces
Community oriented
Hotspots for congregation
-
Filled with vibrant art and historical buildings, and very community oriented
-
Gentrification is clearly visible as you approach Valencia Street (straight middle)
-
Felt like a completely different city than Mid-Market
Mission Bay
Community serving
Commercial use
Empty spaces
Community oriented
Hotspots for congregation
-
Very quiet — many parts of the area were still under development
-
Felt like a utopia — very clean and modern, with designated areas for congregation
-
The overall area was catered to families, and had several spaces for public events
03 Mid-Market
An area once in need of redevelopment, Mid-Market is now a bustling street. Over the past two decades, the city has provided tax incentives for businesses to move in (Twitter, Zendesk, Square, Dolby, etc), resulting in increased construction of unaffordable housing. Many services are easily accessible to tech workers and to those using public transportation.
Right off the bat, we saw many people gathered around the BART station — many were homeless, and others were sitting around the plaza.
.jpg)
A flea market nearby offered quick access to food and culture, a few steps away from the buzz of tech life.
Twitter employee
Q: What are some challenges in this area?
There is large divide between working techies and the local community. She stated that tech companies are trying to be more involved by donating excess food to the homeless and starting CS programs in schools near Mid Market. She also stated that many of the facilities in Mid Market seemed to be more for the people working/commuting rather than those living there.
One of the few signs we saw promoting events in nearby public spaces, such as an empty parking structure
A very nice space beside Twitter HQ, with open seating, a cafe, and a gym. Very ideal for Twitter employees.
We noticed at-least 5 modes of transportation, and efforts from the city to encourage greener transportation
Wide sidewalks, with plenty of people afoot There is no room for stopping, but shops along the street offer temporary rest-stops
Hotel Whitcomb Attendant
Q: What used to be in the empty space by the hotel?
A bell person at Hotel Whitcomb, he been in SF for decades, and has seen Mid-Market grow into a thriving place for businesses. The empty building next to the hotel used to be a family owned restaurant. It was open for 40 years, before shutting down and the space has been empty for 1.5 years. He also stated that one drawback of this area were the sheer number of homeless people and druggies -- he felt like the city wasn’t doing anything about it.
Key Takeaways
-
As the Twitter employee noted and the heat map shows, Mid-Market is mostly catered to those working in the area and anyone else living in the expensive high-rise housing by the area. While there were spaces that promoted congregation, not everyone could participate due to limited space and higher costs.
-
Homelessness was prevalent in the area, and there weren't many resources for them to take advantage of. It seemed like a problem the city did not want to address properly, and it feels bad that the homelessness is only growing.
-
Everything felt very abrupt, and there was barely any place to simply sit down. All the places on the street felt like quick stops to grab what you needed and leave. Indoor sitting was widely available, but hard to notice from the sidewalk. Many buildings just blended in together with no extension to the public passing by.
Our Proposal
Communifying Lobbies
-
Storefront stories
-
Brainstorming spaces
-
Sidewalk conversations
-
Crowdsourced art wall
For our prototype solution, we wanted to create a congregation space that didn't obstruct with everyone on the move in Mid-Market. Using empty spaces in existing buildings, we proposed an interactive lobby where anyone can engage in conversations surrounding the region's community. Events could be publicized, citywide issues could be amplified, and simple conversations could promote interaction among anyone passing by.
04 Mission District
Mission District felt like a different city the moment we emerged from BART. Buildings didn't blend in like in Mid-Market, and many people were out and about, engaging with others. The neighborhood's population has the city's highest Latinx concentration, and is a working class neighborhood with mostly low-moderate income households. These unique aspects of Mission are reflected in the region's nonprofit service providers, cultural institutions, and family businesses.
.jpg)
Similarly to Mid-Market, the BART station served as a congregation spot. Only this time, we also saw tables set up with people distributing information about city measures, affordable housing, and other resources.
.jpg)
Many local shops were warm and inviting to anyone passing by, with extensions on the sidewalk. The local Latin influence was clear through alternate menus and signs, an indication of inclusivity
Group of Pole Dancers @Dolores Park
Q: How has your group benefited from community spaces?
"We’re looking for a place where we won’t be harassed. Dolores encapsulates SF culture, openness, eclecticness… we add to the community." The pole dance studio had jumped through a few hoops to get a permit to dance at the park--“we emailed the parks department…. ‘Tell us about the pole,’ they asked.” They were the talk of the hour among the crowds of sunbathers and picnic-goers.
We also encountered the home of the 15/wage worker's union — the Red Stone Labor Temple, a local hub for Latinx organizations, unions, and the arts. While active since 1910, the building is being run down due to higher housing costs, forcing many groups to leave
Flyers distributing information about upcoming local events, city-wide issues, and artists.
Organizer @Redstone Labor Temple
Q: How does this space help local organizations?
"Our work is towards exposing systematic issues and working with groups in strong grassroots spaces — think of this place as a sanctuary for arts and culture." The organizer has firsthand seen the change in Mission over many years — the biggest one being the city’s use of space. With many locals being driven out, so are the artists, community organizers, and longtime residents themselves
.jpg)
As we went along the street, we could see the signs of gentrification through developing high-rise apartments and "bougie" shops. It felt like it was transitioning into the street Mid-Market was at the time.
Mission District is known for its historic art murals, and we could see glimpses of local art at every corner. The region values its culture and still keeps it up to this day.
South SF Native
Q: What could people do to better understand gentrification?
"People who’re affected by gentrification don’t feel like they’re being heard." — Chantel is a native to south San Francisco, and is surrounded by friends and communities affected by gentrification. She emphasized how displaced families are unable to do anything about their homes — while the city wants more growth, they ignore their own long-time residents.
Our Proposal
Maker Marketplace
-
Gallery for art and resources
-
Booths to distribute information
-
Open classes for collaboration
-
Art or work space
-
Discussion space
Our proposal was to create a space where anyone is welcome to advance their community goals and activities and a hub for people to distribute resources for local groups. We resonated with the Redstone Labor Temple and other spaces losing their spaces due to things they can't control, such rising housing costs. Though the costs of a space could be a constraint, we envisioned the space to be outdoors or be held indoors once a week as a recurring event. These changes could make the space more engaging to locals and those passing bay the region on a day out.
05 Mission Bay
Mission Bay had the least amount of pedestrian activity compared to the other districts, with a rich, developing neighborhood full of services for the modern family. The area used to be an industrial district, but was renovated over time to include the new Chase center and UCSF campus. Nearby parks offered anyone living in the area to enjoy monthly events or spend time with their kids. Overall, the area did not have a strong local culture, but has the potential to develop one over time.
An open space we encountered that has potential as a congregation spot for outdoor events
One of many high-end shops we saw, including cafes, grocery stores, and clothing retail
Couple eating by food trucks, recently moved from NYC
Q: What is life like in this district?
"In NY, everyone you work with wants to go out after work, but not so here." — while this may be a cultural difference, the ongoing development in the region still has an impact on daily life. They mentioned that there is a lack of nightlife in SF and everything closes early. There are a lot of new buildings around, but no restaurants, no bars, and many empty storefronts. They mentioned businesses are often fighting with the city for licenses, or the rent is too high.
As the couple mentioned, we saw several empty spaces and storefronts. While they may be new stores today, there are several underutilized spaces throughout the three districts we explored. This is a recurring problem the city has not addressed properly.
.jpg)
A central part of Mission Bay filled with food pop-ups, trucks, and open seating. While this wasn't distributed across the street, it was nice to see a large open space dedicated to gatherings.
Apartment Complex Manager
Q: Can you tell us more about the development in this area?
A woman who helped manage an apartment complex in Mission Bay stated that the neighborhood is more residential and more people are moving in. Current activities that Mission Bay has to offer are canal activities, a community garden/soccer field, movie nights, and a basketball field.
Our Proposal
.png)
Health-centered Fair
-
Local vendors and makers
-
Foodtrucks
-
Open seating
-
Live music
-
Meditation spaces
-
Community circles
-
Public input on local events
With several outdoor spaces and the family demographic, Mission Bay has potential for a lively atmosphere. We wanted to build on the momentum of its recurring events for family activities and the space outdoor parks have to offer. A general wellness event could greatly benefit families, full-time workers, and UCSF students.
My takeaways
Though I normally work on UI/UX projects, this project opened my eyes to the use of design in another context. Through intentional design, urban design seeks to improve people's well-being and social connectivity. This was refreshing, and I think all design should aim to support people in some way, whether it helps them accomplish a task or leaves them with a great experience. Looking back, there were two main ways I think the project could have changed with more time:
-
Diary Studies
The field day was a great way to immerse ourselves, but diary studies could have helped us to better understand experiences of SF natives. Diary studies would have given us greater context from a person's life, adding more depth to our study.
-
Testing our prototypes
Due to time constraints, we didn't test our ideas in each region. If I had the chance, I would have wanted to implement the ideas on a smaller scale in the form of sidewalk interactions, small public spaces, or some of the empty space within other buildings. There are also different factors that could affect an idea's feasibility, such as time of day or pedestrian activity.
Other Work
