Play Streets creates a safe space to get outdoors in the Tenderloin, the City’s neighborhood with the highest number of children per capita.
The Tenderloin is one of the most diverse and densest neighborhoods in San Francisco. Most parks in the neighborhood are very small, adding up to only 0.17 acres per 1,000 residents, compared to 1.5 acres per 1,000 residents city-wide. COVID-19 has been especially difficult for Tenderloin families, as playgrounds closed and many did not leave their apartments at all for seven months. We worked with Livable City, SFMTA and other community partners and City agencies to get approval to create temporary space for play on the 200 block of Turk Street, which fronts several densely residential buildings, including high numbers of children and families.
We launched a series of Play Streets events, closing the block to automobile traffic from 10am-3pm on select Saturdays and opened up for activities such as bike riding, art, chalk drawing, hula hooping, movement classes, drumming classes, backpack giveaways, resource sharing, and COVID-19 testing.
