Hundreds of downtown events helped turnaround a public plaza long plagued by drugs and violence.
After years of trying to enforce its way to a safer UN Plaza, the City of San Francisco tried a different approach.
The focus is now on attraction and activation. A centerpiece of the park’s revival is a 13,000-square-foot skating plaza, which was designed by local professional skateboarders and skate park advocates. The plaza also boasts ping-pong tables, chess and checkers tables, public seating, cornhole boards, fitness equipment, and new lighting.
There’s also a steady stream of concerts, farmers markets, and fitness classes. While many of those events are small, UN Plaza has also hosted major events, including a live performance that drew 25,000 people.
“The key to making a space safe is making it fun, and that means constant programming,” says Phil Ginsburg, the city’s general manager of parks and recreation.
More on improving public safety appears regularly in the pages of Downtown Idea Exchange newsletter.
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