The Future of Downtown San Francisco

After two and a half years of struggle, San Francisco's downtown stands at a crossroads. Employees have increasingly returned to offices—with overall attendance at offices reaching 50 percent on some days—streets are busier, tourism is increasing, and corporations have returned to hosting major events and attending conventions in and around the Moscone Center. Yet is it enough to return San Francisco's financial center to the heights of the activity it experienced pre-pandemic? This program will seek to answer these questions and explore what city leaders are doing to enliven and boost activity in San Francisco's downtown core.

In its first program on this important topic, The Commonwealth Club has invited key San Francisco stakeholders with a direct stake in addressing the problems to discuss practical and tangible solutions to continue to bring downtown San Francisco back to life. The program will look at the Downtown SF Partnership's new public realm plan, the efforts of San Francisco's Office of Economic and Workforce Development on the issue, and possible local and state legislative responses to the crisis.

Will these efforts be enough to help return people to downtown, and boost large and small businesses that continue to struggle? Please join us for an important conversation on the future of downtown San Francisco.

The moderator, Kevin Truong, is a reporter at the San Francisco Standard covering small business policy and the economic recovery.

SPEAKERS

Laura Crescimano

Co-Founder and Principal, Sitelab

Wade Rose

President, Advance SF

Robbie Silver

Executive Director, San Francisco Downtown Community Benefit District (Downtown SF Partnership)

Kate Sofis

Executive Director, Office of Economic and Workforce Development

Kevin Truong

Reporter, San Francisco Standard

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on November 1st, 2022 by the Commonwealth Club of California.

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