Core77
e
- Topics
- Features
- Awards
- Careers
-
Firms
- Firms
- Search Firms;
- Firm Projects
- Forums
-
More...
- About Us
- Contact Us
- Advertise
- About
- Terms of Use
Urban Design Observations, San Francisco Edition: Looking Down
By Rain Noe - March 26, 2018
Enter a caption (optional)I stayed in the Bernal Heights area and didn't have much time to explore, but observed what I could. I was surprised to see that the municipal government goes to the added expense of having the street names etched into the sidewalk at the intersections.
Enter a caption (optional)I don't keep my head down much in New York, as you'd do better keeping your eyes up to see what (or more pointedly, who, and if they're a threat) is around you. But looking down I also spotted this sign asking you not to dump things down the sewer drains.
Enter a caption (optional)I like that they drew a little crab on it, reminding you that there are living creatures on the outlet end of this drain. It's just a simple outline of a crab but I appreciate the message they're trying to get across.
Enter a caption (optional)Of course, if you look down you also see some things that are gross.
Enter a caption (optional)If I had to guess, here lives a couple, or perhaps roommates, where one of them smokes and the other can't stand the smell, so it must be done out-of-doors.
Enter a caption (optional)And sometimes when you look down, you see things that are sad.
Enter a caption (optional)It was a dead hummingbird. I'd hoped it was sleeping, but nope, it was dead.
Enter a caption (optional)
Rain Noe
Rain Noe is a writer and industrial designer based in New York City.
6 Comments
-
I live in SF, and yes all of our street names are featured on the sidewalk at each intersection. Supposedly this was implemented after the 1906 earthquake & subsequent fire, so emergency services could find their way around a neighborhood that had burned to the ground. The letters are not etched in, they are cast in with big type blocks when the concrete is poured. The names are cast from individual letterforms, which has led to quite a few typos...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/throgers/sets/72157622211751522/
The streetnames are helpful from a design standpoint, as people tend to maintain a ~15 degree downward gaze when we walk, the names on the sidewalk allow us to navigate without looking up. They are also handy for navigation when someone has stolen the streetsign above as a souvenir, which is common at famous intersections like the one at Height & Ashbury sts.!Report as spam-
Ah interesting! Now it makes sense given the earthquake/fire rationale. I also love the thought that these concrete crews are driving around with a box full of letters.
!Report as spam
-
-
sometimes the guys stamping the street names have a little fun to see if you're still paying attention
!Report as spam-
Ha, do you reckon they did it on purpose, or just had long days?
!Report as spam
-
-
I loved the street stampings when i moved to SF. It was such an obvious solution and really helped mea climate to the city faster without looking like a tourist looking for street signs or always looking at my phone.
!Report as spam -
Love the light and shade used in the images.
!Report as spam
Related Reading
-
Urban Design Observations, San Francisco Edition: Meter Windows
Once a month the Con Edison man comes to my building, buzzes every apartment,...
By Rain Noe - March 23, 2018
3 Comments -
Urban Design Observations, San Francisco Edition: Bizarre Public Trash Can
One of you west coasters needs to explain how this thing works
By Rain Noe - March 22, 2018
8 Comments -
Today's Urban Design Observation: Is This Screw-Up the Designer's Fault or the Contractor's Fault?
When people have aesthetic visions and no follow-through
By Rain Noe - March 6, 2018
19 Comments -
Today's Urban Design Observation: What Exactly are These Pieces of Street Furniture, and How Do They Help Firefighters?
In the city you've seen these convenient two-headed pieces of street furniture sticking out...
By Rain Noe - March 5, 2018
2 Comments
Continued Reading
-
Fabian Oefner's Next-Level Cutaway Sculptures
CutUp continues Oefner's interest in "destruction and reassembly," but this time in three dimensions.
By Alexandra Alexa - August 23 New
-
What is it Like to Design and Build Something for Burning Man?
A Core77 Podcast interview with FoldHaus co-founders Jesse Silver (PAX Labs) and Joerg Student (IDEO)
By Rain Noe - August 23 New
-
-
Sponsored PostCurrently Crowdfunding: A Screen Protector That Makes Your Tablet Feel Like Paper, a Washing Machine Alternative, and More
The most notable campaigns of the week
By Core Jr - August 22
-
Join the team at Volvo Trucks North America as the Chief Designer, User Experience
Lead the work to develop user interaction and service design solutions
By Coroflot Jobs - August 22
-
Vollebak's New Plant and Algae T-Shirt Can Decompose in Three Months
Ready for something new? Just throw it in the compost.
By Alexandra Alexa - August 22
-
This Rendering Competition is a Great Way to Chill
The third leg of our Summer '19 Design-athlon is here!
By Eric Ludlum - August 21
-
-
As an Undergrad, James Plimmer Designed an Easier-to-Use Inhaler
Subtle changes to the form of typical inhalers result in better doses for asthma patients
By Alexandra Alexa - August 21
4 Comments -
Find your way to a new job as an Industrial Designer at Garmin in Kansas City, MO
Work on cycling computers, outdoor handhelds, dash cams, marine radars, and much more
By Coroflot Jobs - August 21
-
CASE Command E6
The future of farming is changing, drones are roaming the skies and patrolling the...
By Ryan Short August 21
-
How the Customer Interview Illuminates Innovation
Few companies set up their customer conversations in ways that lead to accurate and useful data. The key is to ask better questions.
By Christie Nicholson - August 20
-
Sponsored PostAdidas' Director of Sustainability Alexis Olans Haass discusses materials, experiments and sustainability
Alexis Olans Haass of Adidas discusses how to engage consumers and integrate brand strategy with environmental awareness
By Chris Lefteri - August 20
-
Get your bass in gear as an Industrial Designer for White River Marine Group in Springfield, MO
Support new product development and engineering for six brands of power boat products
By Coroflot Jobs - August 20
-
Dust London is Transforming Tea Waste Into Covetable Homewares
The tea leaves infuse the objects with a range of earthy tones and subtle textures
By Alexandra Alexa - August 19
-
The Pacific all-day shoes using materials destined for landfill
Taking materials that would be otherwise destined for landfill, The Pacific is an eco-conscious...
By Aaron Roubitchek August 18
Core77's Design Directory
-
Hot On Coroflot
-
Design Jobs
Simon Williamson
Miguel Mojica
K
{Welcome
Create a Core77 Account
Already have an account? Sign In
By creating a Core77 account you confirm that you accept the Terms of Use
K
Reset Password
Please enter your email and we will send an email to reset your password.