For years, the blacktop in front of the Bernal Heights Rec Center has been a stretch of asphalt where kids learn how to bike and roller skate, and neighbors gather. Its contained, car-free layout has long made it a go-to spot for parents of young children and nannies, who like having a safe place for little ones still getting the hang of two wheels. That part isn’t going away. What’s new is layered on top: planters, young trees, seating, and a nature play area built from fallen logs, none of it displacing what was already there.
The bigger goal, discussed on a recent episode of Bernal Connect with hosts Mike and Tracy, is a real “Town Square” for the neighborhood, somewhere people linger rather than just pass through. Greening Projects is leading the project, working alongside SF Rec and Park and Civic Joy Fund.
From Asphalt to Oasis, One Living Pilot at a Time
The team isn’t presenting neighbors with a conceptual master plan and asking for reactions to a drawing. They’re putting real, low-cost elements in the ground now, so people can experience the changes firsthand and weigh in before anything becomes permanent. Planters and young trees provide shade, tables and seating anchor a social area, and a nature exploration zone gives kids somewhere to climb. Civic Joy Fund has also funded on-site music and art events, an easy way to draw people in and hear what they think.
The Part That Doesn’t Show Up in the Press Release
There’s a tradeoff nobody advertises: the city will let a nonprofit install a pop-up green space on public property, but it won’t water it. That job falls to whoever holds the permit, which in practice means someone has to show up regularly for weeding, watering, and the occasional battle with gravel that’s migrated somewhere it shouldn’t be.
The project’s answer is a volunteer steward program, and sign-ups for weekly watering shifts are now open.
Sign up for a weekly watering shift →
Beyond the Plaza: Community Corners
A similar pattern is emerging elsewhere in the neighborhood: a nonprofit, a city agency, and a local business, each taking on one piece. SFMTA’s new pilot, Community Corners, places planters inside painted street safety zones, starting near the library on Cortland. A similar setup near Moultrie is being watered by The Barb Shop, a local business that volunteered to keep it alive.
What’s Coming Next
Upcoming Events
Community Meeting: Garden & Art
Aug 29 - 10:00 am - 11:30 am
Holladay Street Clean Up Day
Aug 29 - 11:00 am - 2:00 pm
Green Density Walking Tour
Aug 30 - 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Bernal Heights: Tompkins Stairway Garden Work Day
Sept 5 - 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Get Involved: Friends of Bernal Rec
Friends of Bernal Rec - Become part of a passionate group of neighbors committed to making our recreation center thrive. As a Friend of Bernal Rec, you’ll connect with fellow community members, participate in park improvements, and have a direct voice in shaping the spaces where our neighborhood gathers and plays.
Partner Profile: Ariel Vaughn, Civic Joy Fund
Ariel Vaughn of Civic Joy Fund is one of the people tying this whole effort together, funding the connective work between city agencies, nonprofits, and local businesses across the plaza, Community Corners, and the events that bring people out to see it.
On Bernal Connect, Vaughn explained the reasoning behind the approach: rather than asking neighbors to react to a conceptual drawing, Civic Joy Fund and its partners install real elements first, so residents can experience the changes and give feedback before anything is locked in. It’s part of why the fund has put money behind on-site music and art events too. They get people onto the plaza, and the feedback follows almost on its own.
Vaughn didn’t shy away from the catch that comes with this approach. Cities will approve a green space on public land, but they don’t maintain it, so the watering, weeding, and general upkeep fall to someone else. Civic Joy Fund’s volunteer steward program exists to close that gap, whether it’s a neighbor picking up a weekly watering shift at the Rec Center plaza or a business like The Barb Shop adopting a planter near Moultrie.
The model runs on small, distributed commitments rather than one big institutional fix: a nonprofit funds the spark, a city agency provides the space, and a business or neighbor keeps it alive day-to-day. As Vaughn put it, the real story isn’t the planters. It’s the people willing to show up with a watering can.
Connect: Civic Joy Fund
Ready to help? Sign up for a weekly watering shift or mark your calendar for the September 12 bench painting event at the Rec Center plaza.