Phil Ginsburg on running SF parks & rec, the long-term vision for public spaces, 420 at Hippie Hill, and how “delivering joy is very serious business”

Phil Ginsburg is the Leslie Knope of San Francisco’s Parks and Rec, and today, he joins us to share the ambitious vision for Market Street and India Basin Waterfront Parks, philosophical musings on land use, and the biggest challenge of running a department that oversees 15% of land in San Francisco. 

He also answers our spicy questions about things like 420 and what’s contentious internally in his department. Also, what do cheerios have to do with the creation of Golden Gate Park? Grab some tea, get cozy, and tune in to find out. 

Chapters

• 0:00 05 Phil Ginsburg - edited version
• 3:27 Primer on SF's incredible parks
• 5:24 The "10 minute walk" rule
• 6:27 A 50 year plan: the southern waterfront
• 8:49 How SF could learn from the transformation of Times Square
• 10:39 Reimagining downtown San Francisco
• 12:20 JFK Promenade in Golden Gate Park
• 27:46 Learning from other cities
• 29:23 How legalization changed 420 at SF Parks
• 33:42 India Basin - gentrification & the complexities of development
• 41:26 Golden Gate Park's secret origin story
• 45:42 How residents can make parks better!