Community Corners

Community Corners add simple amenities like murals and planters to daylighting zones to make them more beautiful, welcoming, and safe. 

The idea was created by local landscape architect Al Hawley as a way to transform underused corners into places where neighbors can gather, sit, and connect.

In spring/summer 2026, Civic Joy Fund piloted two Community Corners on Cortland Street in Bernal Heights next to our Pop-Up Town Square. We added planters, flowers, and tree stumps. That’s it! Yet those small changes make the corners feel like part of the neighborhood, creating space where people can sit, chat, and connect.

Now, SFMTA is launching a two-year Community Corners pilot program to make it easier for neighbors across San Francisco to create their own Community Corners.

Interested in a Community Corner in your neighborhood?

A Green Streets project

Green Streets is an emerging initiative to reimagine our public spaces with nature and neighbors. This growing network of experimental green spaces connects San Franciscans to their neighborhood villages, and to each other.