Public Realm as Economic Development: Downtown SF as a Case Study

Event Description

Urban commercial districts today are forced to reckon with a new reality: the pandemic fundamentally changed how and where we work. Traditionally the center of gravity, office-dominated downtowns are facing unprecedented challenges. Could downtown public realms be a launching point for economic recovery? The tour will walk through the streets and plazas of downtown San Francisco, starting in the POPOS on Market Street and ending in the intimate alleyways of the historic Jackson Square district, highlighting transformative opportunities that lie between buildings, showcasing how the public realm is a fundamental anchor of cities that can re-energize buildings from the ground up.

Learning Objectives

1. Learn how Business Improvement Districts, like the Downtown SF Partnership, are one of the most successful private-public sector mechanisms responsible for the regeneration of small to large-sized North American cities.

2. Learn emerging trends in the role and functions of downtown San Francisco responding to the expectations and amenities of the new "experience economy" in the context of a post-COVID world.

3. Examine how Downtown SF Partnership is making the case that public realm improvements is economic development and strategies to translate vision into funding.

4. Recognize how downtown public realms can be a launching point for economic recovery and witness the transformative opportunities that lie between buildings.

Claude Imbault, Downtown SF Partnership

Born in San Francisco, Claude grew up in a family dedicated to the civic good and the power of public space to transform cities and people. Claude oversees urban planning and economic development initiatives for Downtown SF Partnership, an economic development organization overseeing 43-blocks of downtown San Francisco. Claude holds a B.S. in City & Regional Planning from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and an M.A. in Change Leadership from the California School of Professional Psychology.

Stella Kim, SITELAB Urban Studio

Stella is driven by the belief that good city planning and urban design harness the power to truly transform communities. She enjoys working at the nexus between careful research to understand and draw our stories about places, and creative pursuits to explore opportunities. She brings a wealth of knowledge to SITELAB, with experience spanning the Bay Area and New York City, as well as public and private sectors. Stella possesses a Master of City Planning with an urban design emphasis from UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design, and a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies and Planning from UC San Diego.

Host or Publisher Center for Architecture + Design