La Placita

Mission Community Market (MCM) was founded by community members and a partnership of non-profits in 2010. The organization had been working to transform Bartlet Street between 21st and 22nd street in San Francisco’s Mission district from an overly wide and dangerous street that incentivized speeding, to a safe and inviting community space that could host a weekly market for local entrepreneurs. MCM had organized the creation of a number of new murals, coordinated the weekly farmers market, and was now seeking to further transform the street into a new plaza space for the neighborhood and that's when they asked for our help.

Working with a local philanthropist, I raised funding to lead a community engagement and concept design effort. Through an extensive engagement process working with neighbors, MCM, the district supervisor, and with various city agencies we established a vision for a new plaza space and safer street design and were able to coordinate various funding streams for infrastructure improvements to finance the plaza design and construction.

The Rebar team developed the concept design then worked in collaboration with San Francisco Public Works to finalize the streetscape improvements, which would be the Mission District’s first shared public way. Rebar designed a new pergola structure that would frame the new plaza and create a community gathering and performance space. After a lengthy period of construction due to the necessity for water utility upgrades on Bartlett, the streetscape improvements and plaza were completed in 2017 and Mercado Plaza, now known as La Placita was born!

La Placita is a public space that supports community arts, cultural events and the weekly Farmer's Market, now operated by Foodwise. The space continues to evolve and thrive as a key community gathering space in the Mission. The founding members of MCM are now known as “La Placita.” Their objective is the ongoing stewardship of La Placita, neighborhood streets and cultural events that celebrate the diversity and joy that define the Mission District.

Collaborators: Mission Neighborhood residents, The Mission Community Market, Mission Economic Development Corporation, SF Planning Department, SF Public Works, City College of San Francisco, Kristin Saunders & Alec Schuknecht (Rebar)

This project was created as a founder and director of Rebar