Oh boy. There is no easy answer to this question, but protests in front of buses are certainly not going to solve the problem because it’s a problem that goes beyond the boundaries of the City of San Francisco. Saying that tech companies owe a billion dollars for doing curbside pickup are completely ignoring reality and… Continue reading Why have the tech buses invaded San Francisco?
Category: San Francisco
San Francisco
Housing Costs Controversy and the Math of BMR Ownership
My posts on housing costs have gained a lot of attention in the last week or two, and there have been a lot of comments. I decided to respond to Peter Cohen’s comments in this post, because his comments are similar to others I have heard on Twitter and elsewhere from people in the housing… Continue reading Housing Costs Controversy and the Math of BMR Ownership
Building Efficiency and Housing Cost
One thing I left out of my calculation the housing unit costs the other day in the interest of simplification was the efficiency of the building, but I probably shouldn’t have because it’s a huge factor. David Baker pointed out in a comment: One thing, if the 800 Square foot is cost for the building… Continue reading Building Efficiency and Housing Cost
How can we build cheaper urban housing?
There were a number of suggestions from readers, via both the blog comments and Twitter, on how we could build cheaper multifamily housing. Here are a few ideas with my thoughts: Prefabrication – Most large projects already take advantage of this to some degree. Many contractors pre-frame wood walls in a factory and crane them… Continue reading How can we build cheaper urban housing?
“Why can’t developers build housing in San Francisco for the people who need it most instead of for the rich?”
A question I have heard a lot lately is “why can’t developers build housing for the people who need it most instead of for the rich.” Let’s look at what a typical multi-family development project in a reasonably central part of San Francisco would cost to build (in a very simplified way). I’m assuming an… Continue reading “Why can’t developers build housing in San Francisco for the people who need it most instead of for the rich?”
This is not Guerilla Urbanism: Architecture of resistance and capitulation
The theme of the U.S. Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale this year is “Spontaneous Interventions: Design Actions for the Common Good.†Cathy Lang Ho, who helped to select the participants, discusses the criteria and the approach in this article over at the Architect Magazine site. This is hardly the first post about spontaneous or… Continue reading This is not Guerilla Urbanism: Architecture of resistance and capitulation
Earth Hour in San Francisco
Before and during photos of Earth Hour in San Francisco.
William Kentridge, J. Mayer H., and Simon Ungers at SFMoMA
There is a lot going on at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art right now, here’s a brief synopsis of a few of the shows. The William Kentridge show on the 4th floor was great, but I would probably have to budget most of a day to really see all of the work. Much… Continue reading William Kentridge, J. Mayer H., and Simon Ungers at SFMoMA
Holding out for the immaterial
Holding out for the immaterial, originally uploaded by mark.hogan. I’m not sure who is responsible for this sign in San Francisco on Minna Street, but I hope the same person isn’t holding out for a parking spot there.
Bike Blender Margaritas
You know it’s a party when someone whips out a bike blender. Actually, if you don’t live in the Bay Area you probably haven’t seen one before (unless you have been to Burning Man, I have a suspicion you may have seen on there). Our annual party was enhanced this year by the addition of… Continue reading Bike Blender Margaritas