San Francisco Market Street Reimagined

San Francisco Market Street Reimagined

Donald Zellefrow

Prompted by an international design challenge, bold ideas put the “Market” back in Market Street

The Market Street Reimagined Ideas Competition was an international call, sponsored by the Urban Land Institute San Francisco and Civic Joy Fund, for innovative urban concepts aimed at revitalizing the historic area of downtown San Francisco in response to disruptions from the pandemic, remote work, and shifting cultural dynamics. Design teams were challenged to break from traditional urban planning methods and explore bold ideas to help post-pandemic city cores thrive both economically and experientially.

 

Background

Since 1839, Market Street has been the major transportation spine of San Francisco. It runs diagonally at the intersection of the city’s two street grids stretching from the bay’s edge southwest through the Financial, Tenderloin/Theater, Civic Center/Van Ness, and Hayes Valley/Lower Haight districts, and finally, the Castro/Upper Market area. Today it is still the main transit spine of the city, with regional and city lines running both below and on the street. Unfortunately, since the pandemic, it is not only car-free but has yet to fully regain its former vibrancy. San Francisco has experienced the greatest lag nationwide in commuters returning to in-person work, leaving the Market Street corridor as a shadow of its former self. This has created a negative ripple effect, with regional transit delivering less than half of the pre-pandemic daily population to this area. Not only are office vacancies at record levels, but retail service, parking garages, public transit, and convention bookings have all dropped dramatically, hollowing out the previously busy Market Street area. With the absence of workers, shoppers and shops, theater goers, and tourists in this zone, the vitality and joy of the public realm is missing.

 
 

In developing our response to the call to action, we asked the question ‘How can we reinvigorate Market Street as a World-Class Destination?’ The solution was creating a vibrant, must-visit one-of-a-kind experience that draws both locals and global tourists while celebrating the corridor’s unique culture, history, and future. The solution included several proposed urban design interventions:

  • The Kinetic Commons

  • Wonder Cars

  • Move Hub at Mechanics Monument Plaza

  • Kinetic Zone at Hallidie Plaza

  • Streetcar Bazaar at UN Plaza

 

The Kinetic Commons

The Kinetic Commons reimagines Market Street as a shared landscape of motion—where walking, rolling, dancing, and pausing are celebrated as everyday acts of expression and connection. Along this vibrant corridor, Wonder Cars—repurposed streetcars transformed into mobile cafés, greenhouses, galleries, and play spaces—serve as creative anchors that bring surprise and delight to the street. Docked at key nodes, these cars offer evolving, interactive experiences that invite people to gather, explore, and move together—transforming Market Street into a civic commons fueled by joy.

 
 

Wonder Cars

Wonder Cars draw inspiration from San Francisco’s iconic legacy of cable cars, trolley lines, and streetcars—once the lifeblood of a city built on movement. Reimagined for today, these historic vehicles are transformed into mobile experiences that celebrate the spirit of San Francisco. From rolling greenhouses and art studios to cafés and aquariums, each Wonder Car honors the city’s past while animating its present—bringing curiosity, creativity, and community back to the street where transit and culture first met.

 
 

Move Hub at Mechanics Monument Plaza

Move Hubs are dynamic anchor points along Market Street where movement, creativity, and community converge. These reimagined plazas pulse with daily activity—from dance sessions and wellness classes to pop-up performances and interactive installations. Each hub serves as a landing zone for Wonder Cars, which animate the corridor with a choreography of play and connection—transforming the act of passing through into a reason to stay.

 
 

Kinetic Zone at Hallidie Plaza

Kinetic Zones are immersive play environments woven into the fabric of Market Street—featuring climbable sculptures, musical pavements, balance tracks, and interactive light installations that invite movement at every scale. These dynamic spaces are paired with Wonder Cars to create an ever-shifting landscape of motion and imagination, turning the street into a place where joy isn’t just allowed—but expected.

 
 

Streetcar Bazaar at UN Plaza

Market Street’s transformation into a vibrant civic destination culminates at UN Plaza, where a new Streetcar Bazaar reanimates the historic corridor with culture and commerce. Here, a stationary “Switchyard Market” blends micro-retail, cafés, dining, and public programming into a lively gathering space. While Muni streetcars continue to provide core transportation functions, a select fleet of Wonder Cars will rotate through the corridor—offering seasonal experiences that evolve with the city and bring new life to San Francisco’s most iconic street.

 
 

Donald Zellefrow, AICP, is an Associate Landscape and Urban Designer at MKSK. Donny’s work explores the power of ecology, the promise of technology, and the strength of community. He has brought his passion, while at MKSK, for the public realm to bear on a variety of complex urban projects, downtown plans, and district plans throughout the Southeast and Midwest. Donald holds a Master of Landscape Architecture degree from the University of Pennsylvania, where he was awarded the Eleanore T. Widenmeyer Prize in Landscape and Urbanism, and a Bachelor of Urban Planning from the University of Cincinnati.