Shaping San Francisco

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Shaping San Francisco

Shaping SF is an affiliate project of Independent Arts & Media.

Recovering overlooked history and sharing the story of daily life in the City by the Bay...through FoundSF.org, an online wiki archive; bicycle history tours; and a public talk series.

03/10/2026

WEDNESDAY! TOMORROW!!
A Shaping San Francisco Public Talk at 518 Valencia
3/11 at 7:30pm—FREE!
No RSVP necessary
City of Redwood
James Michael Buckley’s 2024 “City of Wood: San Francisco and the Architecture of the Redwood Lumber Industry” reconnects us to the built environment from San Francisco all the way up to Eureka in the far north of California, past and present.
David Schmidt’s brand new majesterial “San Francisco Bay Area: An Environmental History” contains a close look at the historic forests of the Bay Area and how they were cut down to help build the region.
Together these speakers will help us see how profoundly the iconic trees of the west coast literally undergird our everyday lives even today.

02/11/2026

en febrero !

02/11/2026

Fresh off a trip to LA for the Monuments exhibition at Museum of Contemporary Art and The Brick, Chris Carlsson and LisaRuth Elliott bring their reflections into conversation with Jonathan Cordero of Association of Ramaytush Ohlone at this week’s Shaping San Francisco Public Talk: The Priest, the Imperialist, and the Sculptor on Wednesday, February 11.
Our main topic is talking about the toppled statue of Padre Junipero Serra, around which we have been doing behind-the-scenes programming engaging artists, storytellers, and indigenous researchers for the past year.
We also pull back the curtain on American myth-creation with its roots in the late 19th century—the 1876 Centennial and post-Civil War memorializing. Imperial consequences, industrialization, explorations in materiality, martyrdom, and more in the mix!
Part of Shaping Legacy: San Francisco Monuments & Memorials, a project of San Francisco Arts Commission, with Adriana Camarena, Kim Shuck, and Chris Cuadrado. Thanks to Association of Ramaytush Ohlone for guidance throughout the year.
thanks to for use of the image juxtaposition !

11/14/2025

Saturday, November 15, 12-3 pm
Freeway Plan Routes: Never Built—Western Freeway
A FREE Urban Walk & Talk
A favorite theme for us to cover, the Freeway Revolt of the 1950s and 1960s, was one of the largest and successful ongoing citizen protests in San Francisco’s history. The revolt against the California Division of Highways’ plan to extend freeways across the city became the first serious opposition in the nation to the post-WWII consensus on automobiles, freeways, and suburbanization. While 19th Avenue technically is Highway 1, the stretch from Stonestown to Golden Gate Park would have been a much different animal had the Freeway Plan been realized. Come with us on foot to find out what might have been lost, and what is hard to experience from an automobile even now.
RSVP to shaping [at] foundsf.org to@get starting location.
also maybe bring earplugs… 😬

11/04/2025

This Wednesday, tomorrow, November 5 7:30 PM at 518 Valencia Street
Our next FREE Public Talk!
No RSVP necessary, just show up!
Neon and automobiles were once symbols of modernity—what do they symbolize now? A panel of speakers looks back at the rise of the automobile on the streets of San Francisco from the 1920s onward. There was civil resistance on Auto Row in the 1960s, then the protests of Uber/Lyft drivers, the Tesla takedown protests, now the streets are full of robo-cars, with creative direct actions to draw attention to their dominance. What does EV saturation mean for daily street life in SF? And for public transportation? And for safety on the streets?
Hear from Chris Carlsson, San Francisco Neon’s Randall Ann Homan and Al Barna, and Ren Fitzgerald of Safe Street Rebel.

We are grateful to and for partly underwriting our free public programming. Adding your donation to their contributions is welcome!

10/30/2025

It was a beautiful Tuesday afternoon in the Castro District in front of the once-Hibernia Bank branch (SE corner of 18th) where folks from the Irish , LGBTQIA+, and history communities gathered alongside politicians to unveil the newest addition to the Rainbow Honor Walk. Roger Casement was honored with a plaque, highlighting his work to recognize the human rights of the Congolese, and of his fellow Irish countrypeople, both in opposition to the imperial colonialism of the British and Belgians alike. This gay man was chosen as the namesake of Casements Bar by Gillian and Sean (in first photo sitting next to the plaque) who understood that the legacy Casement has left fits perfectly with the San Francisco spirit.
We joined historian Adam Hochschild in the crowd, whose book King Leopold’s Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa includes much about Casement. In addition to reconnecting with the RHW crew, we also enjoyed connecting up with .creely —who made so much of the connection with the Rainbow Honor Walk and this event happen—and Jennifer Drennan—a mainstay of the Dowling Library at the United Irish Cultural Center .
When you are next at the busy intersection of 18th and Castro, take a moment to walk among greatness!

10/30/2025

leads his signature Labor History bicycle tour Saturday for the CCA Wattis Institute . This excellent review of the tour by writer Sarah Hotchkiss shares not only some of the highlights of the route but also Chris’s deeper motivations for exploring these histories—namely an inquiry into how our work shapes the world we live in and how we can shift what we do to create the world we WANT to live in.
link to article in profile.
Also, an expanded version of this bicycle tour is offered every year in early July as part of our public programs.

10/29/2025

Auto Row to Robo-Cars: A FREE Public Talk
Wednesday, November 5
Presented by Shaping San Francisco. 7:30pm at 518 Valencia
With Tenderloin Museum, Safe Streets Rebel, and SF Neon

Neon and automobiles were once symbols of modernity—what do they symbolize now? Join a panel of speakers to look back at the rise of the automobile on the streets of San Francisco from the 1920s onward. There was civil resistance on Auto Row in the 1960s, then the protests of Uber/Lyft drivers, the Tesla takedown protests, now the streets are full of robo-cars with creative direct action drawing attention to the dangers. The Tenderloin has been shaped by vehicle infrastructure in and adjacent to the neighborhood.
How does carmageddon affect daily street life in San Francisco? How does it influence decisions regarding public transportation?
No RSVP necessary, just show up!!

10/29/2025

This Sunday, November 2, 2025 12–3 pm we offer our yearly Spirited Tour of Colma Cemeteries: A FREE Bicycle Tour (Bring Your Own BIKE! and of course donations are welcome!)
We take a spirited tour of several massive cemeteries where famous San Franciscans are buried. We’ll visit Woodlawn, Home of Peace and Hills of Eternity, Cypress Lawn, and Holy Cross.
RSVP required to shaping [at] foundsf.org

10/15/2025

NEXT WEEK! Wednesday, October 22 7:30 PM at 518 Valencia Street
Our next FREE Public Talk:
Affordable housing… Upzoning… Stalled developments… It’s all in the news. Come hear from advocates Francesca Manning (SF Community Land Trust—SFCLT), Quintin Mecke (Council of Community Housing Organizations—CCHO), and Maria Zamudia (Housing Rights Committee of San Francisco—HRCSF).
What we’re doing on housing isn’t working. We’ve upzoned, streamlined, deregulated. We’ve chased the promise of supply-side solutions. And still, the crisis deepens. Across San Francisco and the state, we’re told that zoning and deregulation will solve the housing crisis. But real solutions require more than zoning maps — they need public investment, tenant protections, and community-led planning that puts people before profit. Deregulation is politically convenient. It makes headlines without asking the wealthy to pay. It shifts blame from capital to planners. It offers the illusion of action—without the substance of redistribution. But it doesn’t build homes for restaurant workers earning $40,000 a year. It doesn’t produce family-sized units. It doesn’t build trust, or coalitions, or equity. Because deregulation isn’t housing policy. It’s land-use policy. And land-use reform without capital isn’t a solution. It’s a stall... There is a movement waiting to be built—beyond the tired binary of YIMBY and NIMBY. One rooted in care, solidarity, and the belief that everyone deserves a place to live.
Join the conversation!

10/15/2025

This Saturday, October 18 from NOON–2 PM we offer a historical bike tour with guest guide Nancy Botkin through various spaces in Golden Gate Park and the Panhandle that used to be roadways but have since transformed into open areas prioritized for people, welcoming pedestrians, equestrians, picnickers, and people on bikes.
Since the invention of the automobile, Golden Gate Park has had to protect space from cars. Creating the JFK Promenade is just the most recent example. You’ll explore these ghost streets, hiding in plain sight!
RSVP to shaping [at] foundsf.org
This tour is free, and you are invited to make a donation to support our Shaping San Francisco public programs. Bring your own bicycle. Meeting place given when you sign up.

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518 Valencia St
San Francisco, CA
94110

Website

http://www.shapingsf.org/, http://foundsf.org/

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