{"id":26743,"date":"2023-05-28T11:48:13","date_gmt":"2023-05-28T18:48:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=26743"},"modified":"2023-05-28T11:48:14","modified_gmt":"2023-05-28T18:48:14","slug":"san-franciscos-downtown-doom-loop-may-have-a-silver-lining","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2023\/05\/28\/san-franciscos-downtown-doom-loop-may-have-a-silver-lining\/","title":{"rendered":"San Francisco\u2019s Downtown Doom Loop May Have a Silver Lining"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Written by\u00a0Christina Campodonico<\/a>Published\u00a0May 22, 2023 \u2022 5:30am (SFStandard.com)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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An Undiscovered Creative Market comes alive at night in 2019. | Courtesy Kultivate Labs<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By many accounts, Downtown San Francisco<\/a> is in a so-called \u201cdoom loop<\/a>,\u201d with dying shopping centers<\/a> and empty storefronts<\/a> serving as harbingers of the apocalypse. But where so many see doom and gloom, some with a creative mindset see sparkling opportunity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the City by the Bay\u2019s high cost of living is notorious for pushing out artists<\/a>, it\u2019s the very artists that have been driven out who could be the ones to help save it, with a crush of creative proposals\u2014from pop-ups<\/a> to Indian dancing nights<\/a>\u2014put forth to revitalize the city\u2019s economic core. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Partygoers enjoy a Non Stop Bhangra dance event in San Francisco. | Courtesy Odell Hussey\/Non Stop Bhangra<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Here are three not-so-modest artistic proposals for reviving Downtown\u2014from turning the area into a stage to bringing a bit of Burning Man to its streets. Some are straightforward applications of art to sidewalks and the sides of buildings, while others are novel and a bit lofty\u2014but hey, anything beats dreaming of doom loops, right? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Proposal 1: \u2018Downtown as a Stage\u2019 <\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Transforming Downtown into a platform for art events and experiences is one strategy of the Public Realm Action Plan<\/a>, which calls for transforming particular areas of Downtown with the expansion of pedestrian-friendly zones, parklets, pop-ups, bike amenities, landscaping, murals and cultural events. One section of the plan is even dedicated to reimagining \u201cDowntown as a Stage\u201d or \u201ccanvas.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Public Realm Action Plan proposes transforming the intersection of Leidesdorff and Commercial streets into an arts-focused space. | Courtesy Downtown SF Partnership<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The proposal, designed by Sitelab Urban Studio for the Downtown SF Partnership, identified art installations\u2014like Let\u2019s Glow SF<\/a>, which brought 51,000 people and $3 million to Downtown San Francisco last holiday season, according to official estimates<\/a>\u2014as key to revitalizing the city\u2019s core and changing the all-work-and-no-play narrative many associate with the Financial District.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A projection is viewed at 301 Pine St. as part of Let’s Glow SF. | Elliott Alexander for The Standard<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

To combat that perception, the Downtown SF Partnership will host an array of events this summer, from a Bastille Day celebration at Belden Place in July to a series of drag pop-up performances during Pride, cheekily called \u201cDrag Me Downtown<\/a>.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCreating invitations to drive people back to downtown is essential not only for downtown recovery, but to avoid falling back into that [9-5 business] mono-economy, \u201d wrote Laura Crescimano, co-founder and principal of Sitelab, in an email. \u201cDowntown has all the pieces to return to its vibrant self; it just needs reimagining,\u201d Crescimano added.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first pilot project that the organizations will deploy to test this theory is Landing at Leidesdorff, an initiative funded by the City of San Francisco expected to launch later this year. Located at the intersection of Leidesdorff and Commercial streets along the alleyways leading to Transamerica Park, the area will host happy hours and picnics and bring together local restaurants with live music, art and a rotating cast of SF makers and vendors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While final plans for Landing at Leidesdorff are still in development, Robbie Silver, executive director of the Downtown SF Partnership, hopes that the space could offer everything from weekly yoga classes to book clubs. Landing at Leidesdorff will also pay homage to the bohemian history of Monkey Block<\/a>, a historic building that once sat in the footprint of the Transamerica Pyramid and saw the likes of Mark Twain, Jack London, Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo<\/a> pass through its halls. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe believe that arts and culture\u2014along with hospitality\u2014is really going to help drive a new Downtown economy,\u201d Silver said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for the pressing issue of the dollar amount for such endeavors, that\u2019s still up in the air. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat is a million-dollar question,\u201d said Silver, noting that the Downtown SF Partnership is actively fundraising and seeking a mix of private and public funds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Proposal 2: Bring Burning Man Downtown  <\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Converting vacant office spaces into housing<\/a> has been floated as one idea<\/a> for giving a second life to desolate Downtown. But what about transforming those empty pillars of corporate America into artists\u2019 co-ops, instead\u2014and bringing the collaborative spirit of Burning Man<\/a> Downtown?  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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ArtHouse SF proposes turning vacant offices in Downtown SF into affordable artists’ housing. | Camille Cohen\/The Standard<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s the proposal of P Segal\u2014a writer, one of the instigators of Burning Man<\/a> and a longtime fixture of San Francisco\u2019s underground arts scene\u2014who runs the nonprofit ArtHouse SF<\/a>. The nonprofit wants to purchase empty buildings from landlords through lease-to-own agreements to create co-ops where artists would work in creative commercial businesses on the ground floor of the buildings\u2014think bookstores, galleries, coffee shops\u2014and live in the spaces above while paying affordable rent. Burning Man\u2019s \u201ccommunal effort\u201d principle<\/a>, which values creative cooperation and collaboration, underlies this model. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Landlords would have an incentive to either sell their properties to ArtHouse SF at a future date or partner with the nonprofit on a commercial venture to avoid the city\u2019s vacancy tax<\/a>, offset capital gains, receive a charitable tax deduction or show a loss on their taxes, Segal explained. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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ArtHouse SF’s plan proposes a co-op model where artists would work in creative retail spaces on the ground floor of the buildings where they reside. | Camille Cohen\/The Standard<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all about taxes,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Segal also believes the arrangement would appeal to landlords and investors who want to put a positive stamp on the city and wouldn\u2019t mind some good PR. She acknowledges the model is unusual but believes it could be a solution to the city\u2019s challenging rental market, especially for artists who might have difficulty showing a stream of steady pay stubs totaling three times the monthly rent as often required by a potential landlord. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI like to think that we\u2019re suggesting new molds for how to make things work,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The ArtHouse SF model is inspired by the creative and collaborative spirit of Burning Man. | Courtesy Burning Man\/Benjamin Langholz<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Segal first came up with the concept a few years ago after learning that the city has a relatively high percentage of vacant residences<\/a> and that 70% of artists had left the city<\/a>, according to one survey. Her own struggles securing housing in San Francisco as a working writer and her history with Burning Man as its first host<\/a> have also shaped the proposal, which she believes could be the shot in the arm Downtown San Francisco needs.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat Burning Man offers is actually art therapy on steroids,\u201d Segal said. \u201cPeople just feel better when they’re around art. <\/em>[…] When you put that kind of energy in a place intentionally, it’s like social engineering.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the group has identified some potential buildings<\/a> and is seeking grants while accepting donations,<\/a> Segal said the project’s implementation will depend on finding the right collaborators and properties. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Proposal 3: Play Up Pop-Ups and Cultural Districts<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Over the last seven years, the art nonprofit Kultivate Labs has shown a track record of economic success tied to its long-running Undiscovered Creative Market<\/a>. Once a night market highlighting Filipino food, artists and vendors, the event has transformed into a daytime block party doing the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year, the market brought in over 6,000 attendees, and the event series had its most successful year, generating more than $130,000 in economic activity\u2014double its pre-pandemic average of $60,000, according to a press release<\/a>. Over the course of five years, the market\u2019s vendors have generated over $930,000 in sales, and small businesses that have worked with the market since its inception, like Chase Center\u2019s Filipino eatery The Sarap Shop<\/a>, have grown successful<\/a> and gained a following. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now Kultivate Labs is even more focused on translating such pop-up successes into an established commercial corridor on Mission Street between Fourth and Sixth streets in the SOMA Pilipinas Filipino Cultural Heritage District<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur whole model is really to uplift and incubate Filipino American small businesses and get them ready to potentially have a brick-and-mortar,\u201d said Gina Rosales, Undiscovered\u2019s co-founder and producer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Undiscovered Creative Market is scheduled for three dates between August and October and will celebrate 50 years of hip-hop culture as part of its mission to nurture creative small businesses and bring empty streets alive with culture. Rosales points to the market\u2019s ability to draw thousands of visitors to desolate streets as a successful data point.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLook at what we can do with an empty parking lot\u2014bring 6,000 people out to spend money and support small businesses and support artists,\u201d Rosales said. \u201cWhat if we had a giant space like that to activate and program on a daily basis?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kultivate Labs is also working with The Metreon to fill eight vacant spaces with Filipino pop-up vendors, Kultivate Labs\u2019 executive director Desi Danganan told The Standard. Danganan also hopes that Kultivate Labs\u2019 previous endeavors\u2014from transforming a parking lot into Kapwa Gardens<\/a> to turning an empty storefront into a thriving Filipino arts accelerator<\/a>\u2014can be cultural blueprints for Downtown<\/a> moving forward. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Performers from 2022’s Philippine Independence Crawl dance in the SOMA Pilipinas Filipino Cultural Heritage District. | Chan Photos\/Courtesy Kultivate Labs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith the downturn and the shift in the economy, what’s going to be that spark that makes San Francisco roar back to life? It’s going to be arts and culture,” <\/em>Danganan predicts. \u201cWhenever there’s a forest fire, it gives an opportunity for new seedlings to come up.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Are These Proposals Viable?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Some have opined that throwing up light art installations or inviting musicians to play lunchtime concerts is not enough to save an urban swath as large and economically critical as Downtown San Francisco.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you also want a document that offers a realistic blueprint for bringing the city\u2019s Financial District back to life, keep looking,\u201d wrote The Chronicle\u2019s John King<\/a> of the Downtown SF Partnership\u2019s Public Realm Action Plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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An aerial view of a mural at Battery Bridge | Courtesy Downtown SF Partnership<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But the current proposals involve more than splattering paint on sidewalks, and the use of art to revitalize urban areas is an effective and common strategy, noted Gordon Douglas, an urban planning associate professor at San Jose State and director of its Institute for Metropolitan Studies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the small steel town of Braddock, Pennsylvania<\/a>, to the megalopolis of Detroit<\/a>, municipalities across the nation have deployed such creative placemaking tactics to recharge blighted, post-industrial areas\u2014and San Francisco itself offers many promising prototypes of tactical urban interventions, Douglas observed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He points to the popularity of the city\u2019s pandemic-born parklet program<\/a> and the transformation of Hayes Valley<\/a> and Valencia Street<\/a> into vibrant commercial corridors as successful examples. However, he doesn\u2019t think that artists moving into empty buildings is a panacea for all of Downtown\u2019s economic woes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLike, how many Salesforce towers can we fill with artists?\u201d <\/em>Douglas challenged. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He thinks that the city\u2019s core will need to undergo an urban revitalization as vast and ambitious as that of Lower Manhattan after 9\/11 in order to survive<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A smattering of pedestrians meander the streets of the Financial District in Downtown San Francisco. | Camille Cohen\/The Standard<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin, for his part, doesn\u2019t seem daunted and thinks that having more creative and cultural programming Downtown is a no-brainer. The SF politician, whose district encompasses the Financial District and Union Square, said that the nexus of transit, open-air plazas and museums in the city\u2019s urban core make it perfectly positioned for a cultural renaissance\u2014and even tossed off the idea that Union Square or Embarcadero Plaza could host an inner-city spinoff of Golden Gate Park\u2019s popular Outside Lands Festival<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Outside Lands attendees scream along to Rico Nasty\u2019s music at the Twin Peaks Stage on Oct. 30, 2021. | Camille Cohen\/The Standard<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis place is off-the-hook well-situated for bringing concerts [in] like Outside Lands,” Peskin said. “Let’s not have them in the outerlands. Let’s have them in the interlands.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association, aka SPUR, is also bullish on the arts for Downtown San Francisco. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Investing in long-term and sustainable artistic initiatives not only attracts visitors but also promotes innovation and creativity, making San Francisco a more competitive and dynamic city,\u201d Sujata Srivastava, the SF director of SPUR, wrote in an email to The Standard. \u201cBeyond economic benefits, the arts foster community engagement, social cohesion, and a sense of belonging in our city. By providing affordable spaces for artists in downtown areas, we tap into their creative energy and contribute to the vibrancy of our neighborhoods.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Filipino community comes together for an Undiscovered Creative Market. | Courtesy Kultivate Labs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But history, Douglas said, may be the ultimate proof of concept for whether the artists\u2019 ways could work. He cited the transformation of SoMa into a hot live-work scene after artists moved into the neighborhood<\/a> as a tried-and-true example of creatives making a part of the city attractive and cool.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt’s not exactly a novel idea for how to revitalize an area,\u201d Douglas said. \u201cIt’s been the story of urban areas becoming trendy again for a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Christina Campodonico can be reached at christina@sfstandard.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Written by\u00a0Christina CampodonicoPublished\u00a0May 22, 2023 \u2022 5:30am (SFStandard.com) An Undiscovered Creative Market comes alive at night in 2019. | Courtesy Kultivate Labs By many accounts, Downtown San Francisco is in a so-called \u201cdoom loop,\u201d with dying shopping centers and empty storefronts serving as harbingers of the apocalypse. But where so many see doom and gloom, some… Continue reading → <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26743"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26743"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26743\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26744,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26743\/revisions\/26744"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26743"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26743"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26743"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}