San Francisco's got a number of temporary street closures planned this year. Though the prospect of these pedestrian-friendly events is seen as a good sign for the city, this piece argues that their emphasis on corporate sponsorship taints the value.
"This year, the first of six Sunday Streets is coming up on April 26. But after looking through the details of this year's corporate-sponsored events, I'm having a hard time summoning much enthusiasm for them."
"San Francisco is slowly becoming a place where it takes corporate backing just to throw a simple street party, or even to ride your Big Wheel down the street, and where failure to fill out the proper forms and display the sponsors' logos will get you shut down by the cops."
"At a time when San Francisco city policies are squeezing out homegrown, community-organized events such as the How Weird Street Faire, Halloween in the Castro, flash mobs, and this weekend's Bring Your Own Big Wheel event – and letting corporations like AEG sanitize venerable traditions like Bay to Breakers -- it's unsettling to see Sunday Streets brought to you by some of the most villainous corporations in town, including PG&E, Lennar, WebCor Builders, and Clear Channel Entertainment, and laid out as a promotional tool for the very Fisherman's Wharf merchants who opposed it last year."
FULL STORY: Reclaim San Francisco’s corporate-sponsored public spaces
Crowds of Pedestrians Prompt Lombard Street Study
San Francisco is looking for ways to manage—and protect—the masses of tourists who want to walk "the World's Crookedest Street."
San Francisco Plans Pedestrian Street
San Francisco is looking to follow New York City's lead as it moves forward with plans to convert a portion of street into a pedestrian plaza.
Mid-Town Manhattan To Go Car-Free
Mayor Michael Bloomberg has announced plans to close off parts of Broadway in Manhattan to car traffic. The city will experiment with the closing as early as May, creating a large pedestrian zone near Times Square.
Analysis: Cybertruck Fatality Rate Far Exceeds That of Ford Pinto
The Tesla Cybertruck was recalled seven times last year.
National Parks Layoffs Will Cause Communities to Lose Billions
Thousands of essential park workers were laid off this week, just before the busy spring break season.
Retro-silient?: America’s First “Eco-burb,” The Woodlands Turns 50
A master-planned community north of Houston offers lessons on green infrastructure and resilient design, but falls short of its founder’s lofty affordability and walkability goals.
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Analysis: Cybertruck Fatality Rate Far Exceeds That of Ford Pinto
The Tesla Cybertruck was recalled seven times last year.
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