FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Rachel Gordon, Department of Public Works, (415) 554-6045

Aaron Selverston, Owlized, (415) 669-4875

Bill Danon, Autodesk, (415) 675-8360

WORKSHOPS FOCUS ON CREATING A BETTER MARKET STREET

The public can visualize the future possibilities with use of innovative 3-D device

San Francisco, CA -- The future of Market Street returns to the spotlight this week with two interactive workshops and a webinar to discuss the design options to revitalize one of the City’s most important and promising corridors and make it safer, more inviting and more efficient for people who walk, bike and take public transit.

Participants at the workshops also will get a chance to experience the vision of Better Market Street planners and designers with the use of the OWL™ -- a cutting-edge virtual reality device that lets people see the conceptual designs in 3-D models and “look around” as if they were actually standing on Market Street in the future.

Workshop/webinar schedule: 

• Wednesday, July 17, 6 to 8:30 p.m., Parc 55 Hotel, fourth floor ballroom, 55 Cyril Magnin St. @ Fifth and Market streets.
• Thursday, July 18, noon to 1 p.m., online webinar. Register at www.bettermarketstreetsf.org.
• Saturday, July 20, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Main Library, Koret Auditorium, 100 Larkin St. @ Grove.

The OWL™ viewfinders, fashioned after art deco-style coin-operated binoculars, were created by San Francisco-based Owlized. Autodesk, another San Francisco company, created the InfraWorks visualization software embedded in the OWL™ on an iPad mini that gives viewers the immersive experience to get a better feel for the conceptual designs.

“San Franciscans have been clear in wanting a transparent, interactive and responsive planning process to create a better Market Street, and we completely agree,’’ said San Francisco Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru. “We want you to join in the discussions at the workshops, see how we’ve incorporated your ideas from past outreach efforts and let us know how we can make these designs even more relevant and dynamic as we move forward.”

Added Owlized founder Aaron Selverston, “For nearly 150 years, cities and developers alike have struggled to excite the public on proposed construction projects. OWL™ creates a new standard for civic engagement on urban design and reinforces San Francisco’s role as an epicenter for civic innovation.”

Tristan Randall, Autodesk industry manager for construction, said the technology allows the public and City officials to visualize and experience the various possible scenarios in ways that traditional drawings and renderings can’t. “The result is more meaningful input and more informed decision-making for this project, but it also has the potential to change community engagement for infrastructure projects around the world.”

The Better Market Street project aims to rejuvenate Market Street from Octavia Boulevard to The Embarcadero. It calls for reestablishing the street as the premier cultural, civic and economic center of San Francisco and the Bay Area – a vibrant and inclusive destination where people want to live, work and visit -- and to make it easier and safer for them to get around. Construction on Market Street makeover is scheduled to break ground in 2017.

Three conceptual design options are under consideration and will be studied further during the upcoming environmental review process. The workshops and webinar will give the public the opportunity to learn more about the three plans and to offer feedback to City officials.

Better Market Street is a joint project involving the Department of Public Works, City Planning, the Municipal Transportation Agency, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, the San Francisco County Transportation Authority, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and the City’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development.

More information can be found at www.bettermarketstreetsf.org.

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