SFSU Senior Seminar 2005

2005 Urban Studies Senior Seminar (URBS 680) at San Francisco State University

Urban Studies Senior seminar students worked on seven client-serving projects during the spring 2005 semester. They presented PowerPoint slides of their findings to clients and BSS College faculty on May 3rd at SFSU. See syllabus and poster.

1. Travel Delay Analysis (Client: Muni) Public transportation is in constant need of improvement in San Francisco, especially in the areas of reducing travel times and increasing ridership. San Francisco’s Municipal Railway, Muni, has asked a two-person team to provide a study of travel delay analysis on its 28 bus line. The project team is researching the causes of travel delay on the 19th avenue corridor between Holloway and Lincoln. Data collection measures include bus rides to find out travel times and causes for delay. Other research involves studying previous transportation projects both local and international. Based on research findings, the project team will make recommendations that can improve overall ride times and cut down on delays.

2. Residential Parking Requirements in San Francisco: Do they Affect Travel Behavior? (Client: Transportation for a Livable City) Like many other cities, San Francisco generally adheres to a planning standard that requires the provision of at least one off-street parking space for every unit of residential development. Transportation for a Livable City is seeking new guidelines whereby parking minimums are replaced by maximums, especially in pedestrian-friendly areas of the city, well-served by public transit. Employing trip generation monitoring and a resident survey, the project team is investigating how parking ratios affect travel behavior and the feasibility of changing the current code.

3. Complete Streets Analysis (Client: Transportation for a Livable City) A four person team is investigating the components of "Complete Streets" and the potential implementation of such a policy in San Francisco for Transportation for a Livable City. Problems include poor inter-agency coordination, lack of standards for streets, along with locating funding sources. The team is seeking to show that streets can be friendly and safe for all modes of transportation.

4. Bay View/Third Street Market Study (Client: Bay Area LISC) A four-person team is working on a study for Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) to document the types of businesses currently operating, as well as those which are desired and supportable along the sixteen-block stretch of Third Street between Evans and Underwood. The research methods employed by the team include developing and administering a survey, as well as collecting data for the project area in order to update LISC’s existing business inventory. The team is analyzing the collected data to determine consumption patterns, retail gaps, and retail leakage in the study area. The purpose of our study is to provide LISC with current data on the status of retail along Third Street, as well as recommendations for future retail development which will be supportable and desirable to Bayview residents. LISC is interested in applying these findings to inform a community-oriented redevelopment plan.

5. San Francisco's Urban Villages: Lower Haight and Market/Church Neighborhood Commercial Districts (Client: Urban Solutions) A two-person team is working on a neighborhood commercial district enhancement program for San Francisco’s Urban Solutions to evaluate the urban design conditions and business characteristics of two commercial areas: 1) the Lower Haight, comprised of Haight Street between Pierce and Webster Streets and Fillmore Street between Haight and Germania Streets; 2) Church & Market, comprised of Market Street between Sanchez and Octavia Streets. The team’s research methods include a literature review, business inventory, streetscape survey and photo archive. The findings will provide baseline data in identifying areas of concern as well as opportunities for growth—valuable data that will lend itself to the creation of a preliminary work plan for community members of the Lower Haight and Church & Market Neighborhood Commercial Districts.

6. Asian-American Small Business Analysis (Client: ASIAN Inc.) A four-person team is working for Asian Inc. on an analysis of Asian American businesses in San Francisco’s Sunset District (also known as Supervisorial District 4). The project team is focused on three commercial corridors in the district west of 19^th Avenue: Noriega, Irving, and Taraval Streets. The team is using mapping and literature review research methods to help Asian Inc’s efforts in providing financial and technical assistance in supporting Asian businesses. The findings will provide data to support why Asian businesses in the Sunset should receive more funding from city run Community Development Block Grants than in the past.

7. Food Security and Urban Agriculture in West Oakland (Client: People's Grocery) Four students are working with People’s Grocery, a community based food justice organization in West Oakland, to advocate for a city wide food system plan for Oakland and build the case for urban agriculture. The research methods used are best practices research, mapping of food insecurity, and selected interviews. Our findings will inform the client and city government on how to create a sustainable plan for food security in Oakland that includes urban agriculture as a key component.

Siena Florence

Photos by Pamuk, December 2004.

(see 2001 student work; 2002 student work; 2003 student work; 2004 student work; 2006 student work; 2007 student work. 2008 student work)