Market Greenway San Francisco, Northern California Street Reimagined competition, US public realm

Market Greenway San Francisco

December 19, 2025

Location: Ferry Building to Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, Northern California, United States of America

Design: Honglin Li and team

“Market Greenway” by Honglin Li and Team Envisions a Civic Ecological Corridor for Downtown San Francisco

Market Greenway Downtown San Francisco

Honglin Li, in collaboration with Toni Candanedo, Erik Hanson, Lichao Liu, and Andrew Thurlow, unveiled the proposal for the Market Street Reimagined competition, hosted by Urban Land Institute San Francisco (ULI SF) and the Civic Joy Fund. Titled “Market Greenway,” the project reimagines San Francisco’s Market Street as a continuous linear park stretching from Van Ness Avenue to the Ferry Building.

San Francisco’s Market Street—an iconic civic spine—has long struggled to balance transit, commerce, and everyday public life within a fragmented right-of-way. In response, “Market Greenway” stitches native plantings, rain gardens, and urban forests into the city’s core, restoring ecological connectivity, managing stormwater, mitigating heat, and cultivating a welcoming, walkable public realm.

“Our intent was to create a clear, generous civic landscape that privileges walking, rolling, and habitat while respecting Market Street’s essential mobility role,” says Honglin Li. “Market Greenway aims to calm the corridor, clarify its organization, and make space for daily life without upstaging the street’s historic presence.”

A series of movable pavilion canopies span intersections, maintaining uninterrupted pedestrian flow and forming flexible civic rooms tuned to each neighborhood—from waterfront cultural events to cafés, performances, and family programming.

Targeted rezoning introduces new residential buildings with diverse unit types along the corridor in Downtown San Francisco. In parallel, autonomous surface-level systems connect seamlessly with revitalized BART and MUNI service to form an equitable, legible mobility network.

“Market Greenway” is currently exhibited at the San Francisco Ferry Building and remains open to the public throughout the year.

Market Street Reimagined Competition San Francisco – Design Information

Project:

● Title: Market Greenway
● Location: San Francisco, California, USA
● Year: 2025
● Status: Competition Finalist; Exhibition Selection

Team & Credits:

● Lead: Honglin Li
● Team/Collaborators: Toni Candanedo, Erik Hanson, Lichao Liu, and Andrew Thurlow.
● Contact: [honglin.li.arch@gmail.com] [honglin-li.com] [honglin-li.net]

Honglin Li Architect, USA

Honglin Li is a U.S.-based designer and registered architect, working across the United States, Europe, and China. His portfolio spans architecture, interiors, urban and exhibition design, alongside digital–physical prototyping and fabrication, bringing these disciplines together in precise, innovative ways.

Honglin’s projects have been featured in leading design journals and exhibited at prestigious venues, including the Vitra Design Museum, the Biosphere Environment Museum, Hyundai Motorstudio, and the San Francisco Ferry Building. He has practiced with SOM, OMA, EFFEKT, and Metrogramma, and frequently serves as a guest speaker and critic at UC Berkeley and the Academy of Art University.

Market Greenway San Francisco, California images / information from Honglin Li USA

Location: Downtown San Francisco, North California, USA.