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"What is San Francisco doing? Let's copy them!" I'd honestly be surprised if this has ever been uttered out loud in America. San Francisco's governance proble

"What is San Francisco doing? Let's copy them!" I'd honestly be surprised if this has ever been uttered out loud in America. San Francisco's governance problems are well-known across the country. http://archives.sfweekly.com/sanfrancisco/the-worst-run-big-city-in-the-us/Content?oid=2175354 http://archives.sfweekly.com/sanfrancisco/the-worst-run-big-... The bay area economy is the envy of every city worldwide -- but the governance of SF sure isn't.

pdx6 10y ago
No argument -- you could post articles all day like this. Things that other cities copy: Our classic street car system. Our bicycle network. Our fire suppression network. Our seawall system. Our water treatment system. How to get startups like San Francisco does! Failings aside, setting an example for other US cities should be San Francisco's goal. We have a lot of smart people here, and have historically (the TV was invented on Green St! SF has a history in avionics, oddly enough too).
- rosser 10y ago
  We do some things spectacularly right, and I adore the pants off this city, but it doesn't begin to mitigate the levels of auto-craniorectal impaction I see every day, public sector or private.
- jcoffland 10y ago
  It's utterly amazing how many places claim to be the sight of the invention of the TV. http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2958 http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2958
  - pdx6 10y ago
    I was referring to Philo Farnsworth's work in 1927: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philo_Farnsworth https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philo_Farnsworth
- jahewson 10y ago
  The bicycles were copied from London.
- rayiner 10y ago
  I've never heard of any city looking to San Francisco for any of these things. What city had built a street car system in recent memory? People look to places like Amsterdam for their bicycle networks. People look to places like New York City for their water treatment systems.
  - sarcher 10y ago
    East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) is a subject of conversation nationally when looking at organic waste treatment, but I guess that's not technically San Francisco.
  - pdx6 10y ago
    There are a few: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro_Streetcar https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro_Streetcar https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenosha_Electric_Streetcar https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenosha_Electric_Streetcar https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SEPTA https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SEPTA https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Diego_Trolley https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Diego_Trolley SF's sewer system has won awards from the federal government: http://www.sfwater.org/index.aspx?page=392 http://www.sfwater.org/index.aspx?page=392 I was referring to US bicycle network and cities. SF implemented many bike lane programs, inspired by European cities, that have been replicated in other US cities.
    - rayiner 10y ago
      The first electric streetcar in the U.S. was actually in Richmond, VA. Philly and Chicago built street car networks roughly contemporaneously with San Francisco. E.g SEPTA's current street cars date back to Philly's 19th century network). Between the 1880s and 1930s, it was Chicago's streetcar network that was the largest in the world. As for bike lanes, nobody is looking to San Francisco to see how they implemented Amsterdam's bike lanes.
  - rhino369 10y ago
    DC was dumb enough to build a street car route because yuppies think they are better than bus riders.
- twelvechairs 10y ago
  Speaking as someone from another country involved in urban planning the key things i have heard SF mentioned for on a modern transport side are: - technological uptake (uber, variety of sharing options eg scooter sharing, new developments proposing to pay ongoing uber rather than provide parking) - using technology to measure and understand transit issues - Your cycleways are also a good example of implemntation in a western country. One thing i particularly like is the categorisation system of cycleway quality. - a little futher back the tearing down of the embarcadero freeway Of course thats not to say there arent issues as well. Central SF seems far more progressive than other areas from a governance perspective. My personal understanding is there is a lot of local politics at play. Here in Sydney Australia the state government has taken a lot of power away from local governments on these issues (with strategic gain but also ignoring real local issues). The uk 'city deals' model is another strategy aimed at the same issues
  - WildUtah 10y ago
    SFPark digital metering and reform of minimum parking requirements are big advances for San Francisco that are well known.
asveikau 10y ago
>> "What is San Francisco doing? Let's copy them!" > I'd honestly be surprised if this has ever been uttered out loud in America. I've witnessed one such instance: when I lived in Seattle (since moved to SF 5 years ago) I heard people there draw parallels between the Alaskan Way Viaduct and the Embarcadero Freeway, speaking favorably about what happened when the latter was torn down.

pdx6 10y ago

No argument -- you could post articles all day like this. Things that other cities copy: Our classic street car system. Our bicycle network. Our fire suppression network. Our seawall system. Our water treatment system. How to get startups like San Francisco does! Failings aside, setting an example for other US cities should be San Francisco's goal. We have a lot of smart people here, and have historically (the TV was invented on Green St! SF has a history in avionics, oddly enough too).

rosser 10y ago
We do some things spectacularly right, and I adore the pants off this city, but it doesn't begin to mitigate the levels of auto-craniorectal impaction I see every day, public sector or private.
jcoffland 10y ago
It's utterly amazing how many places claim to be the sight of the invention of the TV. http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2958 http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2958
- pdx6 10y ago
  I was referring to Philo Farnsworth's work in 1927: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philo_Farnsworth https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philo_Farnsworth
jahewson 10y ago
The bicycles were copied from London.
rayiner 10y ago
I've never heard of any city looking to San Francisco for any of these things. What city had built a street car system in recent memory? People look to places like Amsterdam for their bicycle networks. People look to places like New York City for their water treatment systems.
- sarcher 10y ago
  East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) is a subject of conversation nationally when looking at organic waste treatment, but I guess that's not technically San Francisco.
- pdx6 10y ago
  There are a few: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro_Streetcar https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro_Streetcar https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenosha_Electric_Streetcar https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenosha_Electric_Streetcar https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SEPTA https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SEPTA https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Diego_Trolley https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Diego_Trolley SF's sewer system has won awards from the federal government: http://www.sfwater.org/index.aspx?page=392 http://www.sfwater.org/index.aspx?page=392 I was referring to US bicycle network and cities. SF implemented many bike lane programs, inspired by European cities, that have been replicated in other US cities.
  - rayiner 10y ago
    The first electric streetcar in the U.S. was actually in Richmond, VA. Philly and Chicago built street car networks roughly contemporaneously with San Francisco. E.g SEPTA's current street cars date back to Philly's 19th century network). Between the 1880s and 1930s, it was Chicago's streetcar network that was the largest in the world. As for bike lanes, nobody is looking to San Francisco to see how they implemented Amsterdam's bike lanes.
- rhino369 10y ago
  DC was dumb enough to build a street car route because yuppies think they are better than bus riders.
twelvechairs 10y ago
Speaking as someone from another country involved in urban planning the key things i have heard SF mentioned for on a modern transport side are: - technological uptake (uber, variety of sharing options eg scooter sharing, new developments proposing to pay ongoing uber rather than provide parking) - using technology to measure and understand transit issues - Your cycleways are also a good example of implemntation in a western country. One thing i particularly like is the categorisation system of cycleway quality. - a little futher back the tearing down of the embarcadero freeway Of course thats not to say there arent issues as well. Central SF seems far more progressive than other areas from a governance perspective. My personal understanding is there is a lot of local politics at play. Here in Sydney Australia the state government has taken a lot of power away from local governments on these issues (with strategic gain but also ignoring real local issues). The uk 'city deals' model is another strategy aimed at the same issues
- WildUtah 10y ago
  SFPark digital metering and reform of minimum parking requirements are big advances for San Francisco that are well known.

asveikau 10y ago

>> "What is San Francisco doing? Let's copy them!" > I'd honestly be surprised if this has ever been uttered out loud in America. I've witnessed one such instance: when I lived in Seattle (since moved to SF 5 years ago) I heard people there draw parallels between the Alaskan Way Viaduct and the Embarcadero Freeway, speaking favorably about what happened when the latter was torn down.