A contest with a $100,000 grand prize drew over 170 entries to the “Market Street Reimagined” challenge, launched by the Civic Joy Fund in April. The once bustling street, starting at the foot of the Ferry Building, had become grim.
The Civic Joy Fund, led by Executive Director Manny Yekutiel, sought transformative ideas that could be put into practice within a year. Managed by the Urban Land Institute of San Francisco, the competition was open to anyone who dared to share an idea. A jury, including the San Francisco Chronicle’s former urban design critic John King, voted on the best proposals within categories.
The need for revival is evident. Banning private vehicles from Market Street has taken a toll on businesses and commuters. Since 2020, cars have not been allowed from the Ferry Building to 10th Street.
Going car-free was part of the Better Market Street project. It was also about reimagining the thoroughfare. According to the Department of Public Works, that plan would make the street into “a place where people will want to stop and spend time, meet friends, people-watch while sitting in a cafe, or just stroll and take in the urban scene.”
The promised grand boulevard of happy people watchers and cafe-sitters never materialized. Instead, pedestrian traffic declined as private vehicles screeched to a halt. The city’s harsh and extended Covid-19 policy that restricted workers from going to the office accelerated the decline.
The Financial District has hollowed out. Active businesses have folded, most recently One Market restaurant. After 32 years, it could not withstand the area’s emptiness, and in June 2025, it served its last famed grilled pork chop.
Union Square, known for its robust shopping and fine hotels, went from a must-visit destination to a place to avoid. The massive San Francisco Centre now sits nearly empty. Saks Fifth Avenue closed in May, and Macy’s may soon follow.
Eric Tao, of the Urban Land Institute, admitted that removing cars from Market Street with no replacement had failed.
Eric Tao, of the Urban Land Institute, admitted that removing cars from Market Street with no replacement had failed.
“If there isn’t a better solution, cars are the next best answer,” said Yekutiel.
What the jury panel was not looking for? Anything ordinary. “The last thing we wanted was hanging flower baskets,” said Tao.
Yekutiel noted that the vast submissions were “cool,” involving everything from adding a river, a funicular, and a beach to Market Street.
On Aug. 6, at the private club Shack15 located at the Ferry Building, the jury’s winners were revealed (for an entry fee).
Radical hospitality and fast, inclusive public space: The Four-Mile Bench
Alyssa Garcia, from SITELAB urban studio, presented a plan that would involve a continuous, winding bench to run along both sides of Market Street. It would go from “scarcity to abundance for human comfort,” said Garcia, explaining that it would somehow revitalize downtown with “experiential retail.” There would be a “collective ground floor leasing opportunity.” An audience member asked if the bench would attract vagrants, and Garcia responded that “loitering is part of public life,” so she does not see it as a hardship.
Norman Foster Prize for Innovation: Yelamu Park
Submitted by Saadi Halil, principal of Sequoia Biomimicry Education and Advocacy drew from nature with a “simple and effective design that incorporates green space.” Halil said it would be for a future that is “rapidly changing” by incorporating water runoff and new technology with different cement that is better for climate change. His design would stimulate the economy by being a “come to space,” attracting tourists and locals to the “premier boulevard.” The name gives homage to the Ohlone Chumash tribe, which once inhabited the area.
Place-making and connected neighborhoods: San Francisco’s Living Heart
A submission by Multistudio, Studio-MLA, Systematica, and VibeMap offered an idea that “recognizes the challenges,” of Market Street and offers “movement in place.” Transportation is the backbone with street cars and cable cars, and open lanes for bike riders and adding greenery. Luca Giaramidaro and Ben Feldmann were the primary presenters, and explained they used maps to analyze “existing vibes” and compared it to other cities around the world. The plan evokes chambers of a living heart, each with a different purpose such as Arts and Discovery and Civic and Culture. More, the sunken level of Hallidie Plaza would be filled in so people would be seen.
Visionary ecology and urban greening: Market Street Forest
Arguably the most outlandish idea was by Christian Lavista, of SUR. His presentation was poetic, as several audience members pointed out, but nearly unintelligible. Lavista described a space filled with “terrain fictions and tectonic memories.” The street would reveal its hidden forest, complete with hammocks and vegetation, as the city blurs and merges with ecology, causing a “natural return to nature.” Trees would not only flank buildings but exist on top of them, eventually fading out certain parts of Market Street into vegetation.
Creative wayfinding and nighttime animation: Flying Colors
Marcel Wilson, of Bionic Landscape Architecture Urban Design Planning, began by acknowledging the city’s “doom loop.” He emphasized that the crisis must be met with a sense of urgency. His proposal focused on activating Market Street with “media mesh,” programmable LED banners placed on stainless steel poles, that would stretch from the Embarcadero to Civic Center. These brightly colored banners could do everything from celebrate team wins to highlight San Francisco’s culture, projecting “different images to the world.”
Spatial innovation and adaptive urban form: Asymmetry in Balance
SWA Group’s Marco Esposito explained their design would change the sunny side of Market Street from a road and replace it with a walkable “people place,” which would be a type of long-running park. The remaining functioning street for transit would have just two lanes, located on the shady side of the street. An audience member asked how protests would continue in such a truncated marching space. Esposito answered that people could still take that action, though it was not clear how.
Each of the proposals will continue to be evaluated for possible implementation. Certainly funds will be a factor. According to Yekutiel, there has already been a pledge for funding but they are looking for more donors.
Just how any of the ideas could be quickly realized is mysterious. Ripping out lanes, raising underground plazas, planting trees on top of buildings, and adding miles of benches and glowing street poles in under 12 months is almost inconceivable in a city where building a home can take 627 days for a permit alone.
As for reopening Market Street to private cars, which is popular among the city’s businesses? Although it would be simple and swift — providing real positive impact for San Francisco’s employers, retailers, restaurants, and theaters — that does not appear to be part of anyone’s imagination.