The re-design removes almost all surface objects from the plaza – trees, benches, planters and security fencing – leaving the original brick plaza, the parapet wall around the circular core, and a roughly 18” grade difference between the flat plaza and Osage Alley. Openness and visibility create a safe space for social interaction.
It maximizes transparency within the plaza and porosity across its boundaries by removing physical obstructions and introducing an uninterrupted topography that integrates the adjacent alley. The unselfconscious design simply proposes an empty canvas offered as a stage for community activity. Under the On-Call GEC program, as a sub-consultant to URS-B&C, Robin Chiang & Company spearheaded the modernization effort for 24M, which endeavors to promote productive community use of public space. On the left of this picture is Osage Alley, which is adjacent to the west perimeter of the plaza, now porous and bright after the removal of security fencing and other barriers. Osage Alley in particular, was protected by two layers of metal fencing and a dark grove of trees and had become a haven for drug activity and violence. Fencing segregated space, interfered with visibility and reinforced a dangerous prison-like environment. Overgrown trees and shrubs sheltered clandestine activities. The community meeting process was at times contentious but was ultimately enlightening and gave the design team an insight to the needs of this neighborhood.Ĭlear to designers and community members alike was that the physical attributes of the old plaza enabled destructive behaviors. Throughout the design cycle, Robin Chiang & Company also participated with BART and SF Planning in community meeting presentations that helped to illustrate, inform, bring consensus and approve each iteration of the plaza design. Robin Chiang & Company was tasked with helping BART to coordinate this multi-agency project, facilitating conceptual design discussions and bringing consensus between BART and the San Francisco Department of Public Works (SFDPW), San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) and the San Francisco Planning Department (SF Planning). Design improvements at this site required the participation of various Public Agency stakeholders. The street level BART entrance at 24th & Mission Station SW PlazaĢ4M borders 3 city streets with 2 intersecting sidewalks where bus lines make frequent stops.