return
to life in sf
The San Francisco Planning Department is currently developing
a set of neighborhood character descriptors and standards.
The winter class was composed by 12 students; we formed
teams of three and were given different team captains
and neighborhoods. "team captains" oriented
us to develop a criteria by which each neighborhood could
tie evaluated. icy team, with Sheila Gregg and Ramiro
Torres, picked the Castro District our team Captain was
Susana Montana who directed us and help us see the neighborhood
with the eyes of an urban planner. The other neighborhoods
studies and evaluated during the winter quarter were the
Outer Sunset, Bernal Heights, and the Upper Polk Neighborhoods.
Each team had a team captain, David Lindsay, Lois Heyman
Scott and Roar O. Herrera respectively. The Spring quarter
studied and evaluated South Beach, South of Market,Ocean
view?Merced Heights and Ingieside(OMI) ant Potrero Hill
neighborhoods.
The study area of the Castro was bounded by Duboce Avenue
and 17th Street on the north, 21 st Street t, the South,
Dolores on the east and Douglass and Castro Streets can
the west We attempted to developed a community profile
of social, economic and physical attributes and concerns
of the Castro District. The Castro District can be identified
by its vibrant, well-established and active community.
It is characterized by a denser mix of residential, commercial
and institutional uses.
The time I spent in this projects was well worth it because
I learned about many urban design concepts
and applied them in an efficient manner. This quarter
had a great Impact on my future as an architect and
designer because I had to visualize people and neighborhoods
with an urban planning "sense." The
reality of working, on something that will be used so
that planners can test our descriptors is beyond of
what I would have to do in school. The idea that the research
and analysis we (Cal Poly, SLO students)
did, is the stepping stone for the planning Department
to create a possible twenty-year descriptor is scary
but exciting.
