Related Projects

Broadway Chinatown Streetscape Improvement Project

Broadway Chinatown Streetscape Improvement Project

Broadway Street is heavily utilized by pedestrians and by cyclists in Chinatown and surrounding neighborhoods, and this project will transform it from an auto-centric corridor to a more vibrant multi-modal street that can be enjoyed by all users. Developed by the Planning Department and San Francisco Public Works, the redesigned street will provide a safer and more pleasant walking experience, with new paving, streetlights, street trees, and street furnishings inspired by the unique history of the neighborhood.

Ping Yuen Public Housing Retrofits

Once a landmark public housing project intended to serve Asian American families, by the late 1970s Ping Yuen (and its neighbor North Ping Yuen) had become a community struggling with underfunded management and repair, crime and a disconnection to City services and support. Chinatown Community Development Center is acquiring these buildings through the City’s Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program, and is rehabilitating the buildings to improve the units, the systems, and safety and security while also adding a much-needed community center for resident events and community activities.

41 Ross Alley

41 Ross Community Art and Cultural Center

41 Ross is a collaboration between the Chinatown Community Development Center and the Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco, and is an active community space that brings together the general public including local residents, neighbors, and visitors to engage in art and culture making activities. Its cultural programming serves to activate Ross Alley and other public spaces in Chinatown.

Green Connections network map.

Washington Street Green Connection

Green Connections was developed by the San Francisco Planning Department to increase access to parks, open spaces, and the waterfront by envisioning a network of 115 miles of city streets that will be upgraded over the next 20 years with pedestrian and bicycle safety features, landscaping, and public art. The plan includes a conceptual design for Washington Street, an important east-west spine that connects several civic and cultural institutions, Portsmouth Square, and Chinatown’s network of north-south alleys.

Central Subway Chinatown Station

SFMTA’s Central Subway Project will extend the Muni Metro T Third Line to provide a direct transit link between the Bayshore and Mission Bay areas to SoMa, downtown, and Chinatown. Chinatown will be the northern terminus of this new line, with a subway station that will feature a rooftop park and ground floor retail space.

A rendering from the Chinatown Green Alley project, courtesy of SFPUC.

Chinatown Living Alley Project

The Chinatown Living Alley Project is a partnership between the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and San Francisco Public Works to renovate Spofford Alley with innovative green infrastructure technologies, pedestrian improvements, and improved space for community recreation.

Portsmouth Square photo by Steve Rhodes.

Portsmouth Square Improvement Project

The San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, in partnership with the San Francisco Planning Department, is undertaking a redesign of Portsmouth Square, Chinatown’s most important open space. The project will consist of the improvement of all existing park features including plazas, children’s play areas, buildings, pedestrian bridge, landscaping, adjacent streetscape and associated site work.

Willie “Woo Woo” Wong Playground

Willie “Woo Woo” Wong Playground Improvement Project

The San Francisco Recreation and Park Department is undertaking a renovation of the Willie “Woo Woo” Wong Playground to serve Chinatown’s youth and families, which will improve park features including ball courts, children’s play areas, alleys, and associated amenities.

500 Pine Street development behind St. Mary's Square. Rendering courtesy of Heller Manus Architects.

St. Mary’s Square Expansion

Saint Mary’s Square provides much needed open space in Chinatown, near the border with Downtown. The completion of the adjacent 500 Pine Street commercial development will provide an opportunity for the square to be expanded onto the building rooftop, expanding the area by roughly 6,200 square feet and providing new spaces for landscaping, public artwork, and public gathering space.