It's Time for a World-Class Market Street

Market Street today is a mess.

Let's be honest—it's a far cry from its former glory.

Congestion
Pollution
Noise
Confusing
Dangerous
Vacant

It's a Shell of its Former Glory.

But the Soul of San Francisco Remains.

Let's do something big.

What if Market Street was a destination? The place to be. A street that represented the best of what San Francisco has to offer.

From fresh local produce to handcrafted bags, performance art to live music, innovative cuisine to cutting-edge technology, world-class transit to awe-inspiring nature, people watching to bass-thumping nightlife, a diversity of cultures to a celebration of humanity.

Now that's a Market Street fit for San Francisco.

Movement

Any discussion of Market Street begins with movement. The flow of people walking. The rumble of the historic streetcars rolling past. The Muni Metro and BART trains whizzing past, just out of view. Above ground today, transportation is congested, confusing, polluting, noisy, and even dangerous. We can find inspiration through simplicity, consolidating down to one single method, rail—and optimize it like crazy.

Public Transit

Frequent trains above ground, high-speed metro below.

An F-Market every 90 seconds from Castro to the Ferry Building. That's it. No confusing slew of buses to get backed up. Just pure, simple rail. We simplify the downtown bus network, connecting lines and removing the Market Street bottleneck. That means more frequency across the city, and more reliability downtown. Meanwhile, the new high-capacity underground M-Market subway—along with BART—whisks riders up and down Market Street every minute.

 

More about Buses
More about M-Market

Bicycles

A safe, leisurely bike path on Market, with a high-speed protected bikeway on Mission.

Market Street calls out for bikes. At 3.3 miles from Castro to the Ferry Building, it makes for a mighty long boulevard, and cycling is an incredible way to experience the city. With a two-way dedicated bike path all the way down Market, it's an unparalleled experience for riders of all ages—and from locals to tourists. That said, commuting cyclists shouldn't have to hold back: a second high-speed fully-protected bikeway on Mission Street allows for a perfect duality of speed and recreation.

 

Market Street
Mission Street

Ridesharing & Cars

Covered passenger loading zones at every intersection.

Whether hailing a cab, requesting a Lyft/Uber, or dropping off a friend, cross-streets will add designated space for picking up and dropping off passengers—without disrupting traffic or endangering anyone.

Market Street Zones

6 distinct zones that reflect the vast diversity of Market Street.

Las Ramblas in Barcelona, Daumesnil in Paris, Walthamstow in London.

It's time to bring activity onto the street with fresh regional produce, local artisans, and even food trucks. This market is like no other in the city, with semi-permanent booths open daily. It's an opportunity for a business just starting out, or a second outpost of a thriving local business. An opportunity for nearby farms to sell in the heart of the city with low overhead. It's for locals, commuters, and tourists alike—a melting pot of shopping for goods and products that truly represent our way of life in San Francisco.

Food

A world-class food destination, Market Street is the place to be.

Northern California is blessed with some incredible regional products, from produce to cheese to meats and flowers, we have access to fresh foods year-round. While we have a number of farmers markets, we don't have a consistent, daily place to find great regional food products—until now.

Products

Shopping shouldn't just be about Union Square.

San Francisco has an incredible number of artisans, craftspeople, and manufacturers, but outside of festivals, and a handful of stores around the city, there's never been a central place to sell and buy these products—opening up new sales opportunities to those who don't know San Francisco's neighborhoods and character as intimately.

Art

A safe, leisurely bike path on Market, with a high-speed protected bikeway on Mission.

Market Street calls out for bikes. At 3.3 miles from Castro to the Ferry Building, it makes for a mighty long boulevard, and cycling is an incredible way to experience the city. With a two-way dedicated bike path all the way down Market, it's an unparalleled experience for riders of all ages—and from locals to tourists. That said, commuting cyclists shouldn't have to hold back: a second high-speed fully-protected bikeway on Mission Street allows for a perfect duality of speed and recreation.

A return to a thriving streetlife.

Market Street is not a single entity. It's a blending of cultures, communities, backgrounds, and people. It passes by banks and law firms, shopping districts and tourists, night clubs and tech hubs. Market Street is a melting pot of soul and character, but we can do so much better. Market Street was once the life of the town, the heartbeat of the night. So let's celebrate this street—this microcosm of our city—with lights, with music, with performances, with art, and with food.

Bringing nature into the city.

Finding nature isn't just about Golden Gate Park or leaving the City. Our unique climate and natural ecosystems are incredibly rich and diverse—like San Franciscans (increasingly the former, but I digress...) San Francisco helped kick off the environmental movement. We were the first major city with a citywide composting program. We have best-of-class energy requirements and water conservation policies. And we're surrounded by natural beauty. Let's celebrate Nature, and our beautiful natural world, right on Market Street.

100% Rail, No Cars or Buses.
Rideshare at Every Intersection.
Cycle Tracks the Whole Way.
Farm-to-Market Regional Produce.
San Francisco Local Craft Goods.
Vacant