In 1979 They Imagined San Francisco Without Cars
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- čas přidán 12. 09. 2024
- I made this TV infomercial, as they called them back then, in 1980, sponsored by United Technologies Corporation.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, San Francisco saw a vision of transforming the city into a more pedestrian-friendly environment with significantly reduced car traffic. This ambitious plan was driven by the desire to improve the quality of life, reduce pollution, and enhance the urban experience.
The idea was to create a city where walking, biking, and public transportation would dominate, making San Francisco a more livable and environmentally friendly urban space.
Pedestrian Zones: Establishing car-free zones in key areas of the city, particularly in downtown and other densely populated neighborhoods.
Enhanced Public Transportation: Expanding and improving the public transportation network to reduce the need for private cars.
Bike Infrastructure: Building extensive bike lanes and facilities to encourage cycling as a primary mode of transportation.
Green Spaces: Increasing the number of parks and green spaces, making the city more attractive and healthful for residents and visitors.
As mayor from 1976 until his assassination in 1978, George Moscone supported various progressive urban policies, including those aimed at reducing car dependency. Urban planners and local environmental groups were instrumental in advocating for a car-free vision. They highlighted the benefits of reduced traffic congestion, lower pollution levels, and improved public health. Some members of the Board were supportive of measures to reduce car usage and enhance public transportation.
Several factors contributed to the vision not being fully realized.
Business owners, particularly in downtown areas, feared that restricting car access would reduce customer traffic and harm their revenues. They argued that easy car access was essential for economic vitality.
Not all political leaders were on board with the vision. There was significant pushback from those who believed that such changes would be too disruptive or costly.
Implementing the necessary infrastructure changes required substantial investment. Securing funding for large-scale public transportation projects and extensive pedestrian zones was challenging.
Many residents were accustomed to using their cars and were resistant to changes that would limit their driving options. The car culture was deeply ingrained, making it difficult to shift public attitudes quickly.
Instead of a full transformation, the city often opted for compromise solutions that balanced the interests of drivers, businesses, and environmentalists. This included improvements to public transportation and the creation of some pedestrian-friendly areas without entirely eliminating cars.
Investments were made in the city's public transit system, including enhancements to BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) and Muni (San Francisco Municipal Railway). San Francisco has seen an increase in bike lanes and pedestrian-friendly initiatives over the years. The city continues to pursue policies aimed at sustainability and reducing car dependency, reflecting the ongoing influence of the original vision.
![A Day in New York 1940s in color [60fps, Remastered] w/sound design added](/img/n.gif)
My parents had a chance to invest in SF real estate in the 70s and didn't. I still wont let them live that one down.
Keep on 'em about that!
Don't think technology has made us happier.
Wouldn’t be watching this if it wasn’t for technology……
@@ukusanz Yeah, that comment seems terribly shortsighted. Technology has provided me with countless ways to be entertained as well as connected to the people I care about.
Try being disabled. It's made me tons happier.
Always a pleasure to watch s film or documentary you have worked on David. Growing up in the Santa Clare County the mountain range kept the smog or any wildfire smoke in the valley. We often get spare the air days where they recommend staying inside driving as minimal as possable and no barbecuing, on real bad days you could see the smog or smoke in the air. Thanks David.
Was married in 75...wow memories. Thank you David ❤🙏🏼 ☮👍🏻
In the 2010s SF was encouraging people to transform their driveways into mini parks and get rid of their cars. My favorite was one that had dinosaurs you could sit on in the Mission. It always seems like a great idea…if only there was more technology that was actually dedicated to improving public transportation.
Sorry for the rant!
It was so cool to see SF back in the day!
Disappointing that they couldnt figure it out, walkable cities are the best and cars should only be for when you can’t walk
I found the description fascinating I'm sure things were very interesting over the years as these improvements were implemented. Your writing is paralleling your camera skills thank you Mr. Hoffman ✨
😊✍🎥❤
🌞💖✨@@drewpall2598
My mom worked for united technologies when they were making the panels for the space shuttle.
That's awesome.
And now in 2024, they would have not imagined what San Francisco turned into.
Love San Francisco. This spirit is still very much here but ironically it's the younger generation who is pushing for these positive changes to the city.
Neat Thanks David ❤️
Okay, I like this in general but that gent told a fib about people wanting only to live in cities. Even back then, lots of SF workers were super commuters from Santa Rosa and such. And I enjoyed doing Bay Area radio that year, Robb Stewart at KNBA the Mighty 1190 in Vallejo. Also, California people deserve credit for embracing imports, lots of small cars and mini-trucks were on the road back then and I drove a used '73 Ford Courier.
I had 2 Toyota Corollas back-to-back in the 80's and half the '90s. Those were good little cars! They handled the rocky dirt road up to Salmon Hole in Bidwell Park along with all the jeeps! In fact, I would pass the jeeps. People were amazed.
@@websurfer5772 My stepmother had a Corolla in San Francisco back then and she called hers Sterling. And, well, it was silver. 😀
@@robbchastain3036 Awesome!!
the pollution from puddle jumpers releasing toxic metals, the private jets, yachts, space x, monsanto poisons, is WAYMO than the vehicles people use to get to work. public transit could be better.
How would a person get to their job if it weren't close? I remember "car pooling" so as not to pollute as much but on my part, I didn't take part in it as the school where I taught was within walking distance. In 1979 the pollution was so bad ( and no, I'm not in CA,) that everyone's cars were covered in black dust and the EPA did nothing. We breathed those particles, children played ouside with it in the air and soil, and the rivers were polluted. It encased several counties if not more. I'm talking well known chemical plants-- one of the most with mega employees. And what was the future? Cancer related illnesses or death were the results of forever chemicals. They don't go away. Thanks David.
I think I'd rather have the old San Francisco with the air pollution than what we have now.
Air pullution>poop
I wonder what specific emissions components United Technologies Corporation manufactured. The microprocessors? The smog pumps? The catalytic converters? EGR valves?
And today we imagine it without crime and poop everywhere. 🤷♂️
it's the same everywhere
I would say suburbs are still clean for the most part@@LoveLee-jz1tj
I just watched youtube video of a guy walking all over SF and he didn't find either. I was there for four days and saw none of that either. Well okay, an arsonist extortionist insurance fraud racketeering Republican from Centennial Colorado did fly a whole German games company out there as part of a criminal conspiracy and Farcry 5 was on display at GDC and that was allegedly paid for through insurance fraud, but that's the only criminals I ran into there.
@@LoveLee-jz1tjnot it’s not.
I was there a couple of weeks ago and everything looked good to me. Maybe it's where you go.
What are breeds when he says "all races, all breeds".
Back in the day they had 'good breeding', people from wealth and 'bad breeding', poor people, people with mental illness, Down's Syndrome, deformaties, and other eugenics ideas.
@@iGame3D 😲 OmG!
Note all the space between the vehicles on the roads. You won't see that today unless it's 2AM. SF built a multibillion dollar transit hub, buses couldn't use it because they couldn't merge into the fender to fender traffic outside the building.
Cool vid🔥
Now it’s where the encampments are. Where the junkies are. Great town
Man it was a bit better than sF today
Smog in San Francisco contains ozone. I wonder if they knew back then how hazardous ☢️ it is
John Holtzclau is perhaps the most 70s man who ever lived
I remember the ecology/environmental boom in the late 1960's and early 70's with government ads campaign with Iron Eyes Cody canoeing on a lake in unpolluted water slowly coming across pollution and reaching the shore that is polluted and standing along a highway were a passenger through a bag of trash out the widow and the tear trickling down his face.
The Lorax a children's book written by Dr. Seuss and published in 1971 It chronicles the plight of the environment and the Lorax, the main character, who "speaks for the trees" and confronts the Once-ler, a business magnate who causes environmental destruction.
Donovan 1973 song "Operating Manual For Spaceship Earth"
"Operating Manual For Spaceship Earth"
La la la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la la
Operating manual for Spaceship earth,
Read all bout those do's and don'ts.
Operating manual for Spaceship earth,
Read all bout those do's and don'ts.
Do be kind to your vegetable friends,
You are the gardener of Earth garden.
Do be kind to your animal friends,
You are the keeper of Earth zoo.
La la la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la la
Operating manual for Spaceship earth,
Read all bout those do's and don'ts.
Operating manual for Spaceship earth,
Read all bout those do's and don'ts.
Operating manual for Spaceship earth,
Read all about those do's and don'ts.
Operating manual for Spaceship earth,
Read all bout those do's and don'ts.
Don't pour filth into rivers,
Rivers are like the blood in our veins.
Don't pour filth into the air,
Air is the best thing that we can breathe.
La la la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la la
We're on a spaceship,
You may not think so.
We're on a spaceship
And here we go.
Don't pour filth into rivers,
Rivers are like the blood in our veins.
Don't pour filth into the air,
Air is the best thing that we can breathe.
La la la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la la
We're on a spaceship,
You may not think so.
We're on a spaceship
And here we go.
💖🌞✨
@@MGMG-lc2fe 😊🧡✌🌎
@@drewpall2598❤
They didnt imagine poop and hypodermics on the sidewalks either
These Lefties are so exhausting (From an Left Anarchist)
I’m interested in hearing about what it may mean to be a left anarchist ?
Now imagine it without stores and people.
That's already happening in some parts post 2020.
Tryed to like👍Alas when I hit 👍The tecnolagey wont allow me..
Now they need to better regulate smug, entitled perpetual traffic laws scoffing bicyclists that whine and use the same "at least we aren't polluting with cars" rhetoric and attitude for horrible and dangerous behavior on the streets!
Can we go back and try again
No.
Same voice for 50+ years…
1970 computer generated voices?
Yep.
You are incorrect. When this was made, I used the real Peter Thomas who was a friend of mine.
DAVID HOFFMAN filmmaker
@@DavidHoffmanFilmmaker Ahhhhh…
Thank you for setting me straight!
79 things were going great..but its 2024.. its hot 🔥 mess..
😶😶😶
I like pedestrian areas but the problem with these types of programs is that they always dramatically increase rental prices. Most traffic is commuters from cheaper areas so making it more difficult just skyrockets housing costs. Even if you build train stations the area within walking distance to the station becomes extremely expensive. Seems like we should do the opposite, build more freeways and ban bicycles. The city center can be pedestrian only, but you need a network of parking garages to support it.
Have you been to SF lately?