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Tactical Urbanism in San Francisco: A Critical Planning Analysis

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Date

2019

Authors

Sparks, Erin

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Abstract

This paper discusses tactical urbanism, focusing on cycling infrastructure projects that are initiated by the City of San Francisco and the ‘guerrilla’ group SF Transformation. Tactical urbanism refers to the actions taken by groups, sometimes anonymously, to temporarily alter the built environment, often with the intention of commenting on how space is allocated.

This research is guided by questioning where tactical urbanism fits into San Francisco’s neoliberal, auto-centric planning landscape. It is unlikely that tactical urbanism presents a strong challenge to neoliberalism – if it indeed challenges it at all – but what is its role? What happens when anonymous groups begin making physical changes to the street? What is the outcome when these groups attempt to address the lack of cycling infrastructure through targeted interventions?

This research employs a qualitative lens and consists of a review of the existing literature, as well as information gathered through semi-structured interviews, site visits and news articles published by local organizations, culminating in an examination of work done by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) and SF Transformation. My research focuses on an aspect of urban planning that has connections to many ongoing conversations in the field, including those related to the Creative City, neoliberal planning, and the right to the city. I argue that the unofficial tactical urbanism in San Francisco ultimately represents an embodiment of privilege, rather than a democratic reclamation of space in a city where road space is increasingly contested

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Major Paper, Master of Environmental Studies, Faculty of Environmental Studies, York University

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