Team Kearny: Ways to Generate Open Space

​This week, we got to see many different types of open space, whether publicly owned or privately owned. One thing is for sure, open space is highly needed in such a congested Chinatown. With Kearny Street as our corridor, we have the privately owned public open space, Empire Park just located in Commercial Alleyway between Kearny St. and Montgomery St and then there is Portsmouth Square, one of the four Playgrounds in Chinatown. After several observations, we discovered that Portsmouth Square has potential to improve for quality open space.

1) Many users of Portsmouth Square come to this space to gather and socialize, to exercise, to catch the sun, and so much more. Therefore, we find it crucial to have more seating. Our
proposal is to replace the overgrowing bushes and trees that surround Portsmouth Square on the side of Kearny St. with possible amphitheater-like seating stage with greenery added in between these steps. This way it will increase seating as well as space for people to walk around and exercise on. Possible seating blocks are also a way to increase seating space.

​2)Another proposal would be implementing Chinese Checkers/Chess stations onto stone blocks. Many grandpas use this open space every day to play Chinese chess. Although there’re already stone blocks set on the lower portion of Portsmouth Square, the design is not really set for the game. Why not have actual Chess/Checker seating made out than for them to draw it on their own.

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As for the corridor along Kearny and Jackson, we’d like to propose for a possible parklet in front of City College of San Francisco. With I-Hotel, St. Mary’s primary School, and a CCSF on the same block, we find it crucial to have

1. Open space
2. To allow people, especially the traffic to be aware of such facilities and the need to slow down traffic.  

Saying so, our parklet suggestion would be planters with public art possibly done by children attending the St. Mary’s as well as benches for people to sit on.