Aug 6 2014
An abandoned and neglected street is about to become a thriving, community-centered hub thanks to a collaboration between The Lincoln Motor Company, Architectural Digest and Architecture for Humanity.
How Burrows Street in the Portola neighborhood of San Francisco looks after its transformation into a pocket park. The Lincoln Motor Company, through The Lincoln Reimagine Project(TM) and in collaboration with Architectural Digest and Architecture for Humanity, aided the transformation. (Photo credit: Architecture for Humanity)
As part of The Lincoln Reimagine Project™, the luxury automotive brand teamed with the international design and architecture authority and the world-renowned nonprofit firm to engage artists and designers to transform Burrows Street in the Portola neighborhood of San Francisco into a pocket park.
“Lincoln is reaching a new luxury customer by presenting the brand in a more authentic way by creating warmer, more personal experiences,” said Dave Rivers, manager, U.S. Lincoln marketing communications. “Transforming Burrows Street Park into an enriching and valuable destination that touches and serves the community reflects our values, and is something we’re proud to support and nurture.”
The Lincoln Reimagine Project collaborates with – and supports – visionary leaders of innovative ideas and projects within Lincoln’s passion points of the arts, design and thought leadership. San Francisco started a worldwide trend in 2010 with its “pavement to parks” initiative, making the Burrows Street Park project a natural choice for Lincoln to support.
“Projects like Burrows Street Park teach all of us that there’s a better urban future where nonprofits, the private sector and local communities collaborate,” said Eric Cesal, executive director of Architecture for Humanity.
The reimagined park will serve as a working blueprint for a comprehensive, community-led effort for revitalization, and will set a precedent for – and drive interest in – future public-space improvement projects throughout the city.
“We believe that innovative design in all forms can improve lives, and, in this instance, deliver widespread community benefits,” said Giulio Capua, vice president and publisher of Architectural Digest. “We’re very pleased to partner with Lincoln and Architecture for Humanity, both of which represent great design and a commitment to local communities.”
Highlights of the new space include street furniture, a neighborhood information kiosk, lighting, a green wall and an art mural. Click here for a time-lapse video of the painting of the mural.
Good design seamlessly complements its surroundings, said Solomon Song, design manager of the Lincoln MKZ midsize sedan and advisor on the project.
The Lincoln MKZ, through its charismatic, stunning, inviting and warm design, helped set the tone of the Burrows Street Park project.
“The park needed to have similar attributes. It also needed to be open and inviting,” said Song, who is also a painter and sculptor. “My favorite part of this project was seeing the transformation of the space. You can truly change people’s perception with great design, and Burrows Street Park is a great example of how underutilized space can be transformed into a public space you want to visit.”