The Green Space the City Forgot — and a Neighbor Didn’t
There’s a strip of green at the top of Potrero Hill that most people drive past without a second thought — and that’s kind of the point. The Carolina Green Space didn’t start with a big plan or a grant application. It started with a few neighbors who grew tired of driving past an overgrown median and decided to take matters into their own hands.
This week, we’re taking a closer look at that story: how a forgotten patch of city land became one of the largest green spaces in San Francisco, one weekend at a time. It’s a good reminder that you don’t need a title, a budget, or a background in landscaping to change what your block looks like — just a willingness to show up.
Below that, you’ll find our full calendar of upcoming events and workdays, including a few chances to get your hands dirty. Come for an hour, come for the whole morning — every bit of help moves these projects forward.
Project Spotlight: Carolina Green Space
Drive up Carolina Street between 22nd and 23rd, at the top of Potrero Hill, and you’ll pass one of the largest vegetated islands in San Francisco — a 960-foot median that’s since grown into a real gathering space for neighbors. It’s easy to miss, honestly, just a strip of green splitting the road in half. But go back a few years, and there wasn’t much reason to notice it at all.
The City used to maintain the median. That ended after the 2008 financial crisis, and the space fell into neglect — overgrown, littered with trash, home to occasional encampments and safety concerns. It’s a familiar pattern in San Francisco and in most cities: public land gets planted with good intentions, and then the resources that kept it going quietly move elsewhere. No one decides to let a space go. It just happens, season after season, until people stop thinking of it as green space at all.
Carolina Street took a different turn — largely because one neighbor decided it should.
Cathryn Blum lives directly beside the median, and she’d watched it decline for years before she and a handful of Potrero Hill neighbors decided to act. In late 2016, they started showing up on weekends with gloves and garden tools, pulling weeds and hauling away debris, testing what could actually hold up against wind, foot traffic, and the hill’s particular weather. Most had no landscaping background. What they had was time on Saturdays and a refusal to keep driving past the same eyesore.
Cathryn led the push to connect the group with the right city channels and landscape architects, work that paid off with a Community Challenge Grant. By 2022, the group had transformed the space into “Skyline Terrace” — now a favorite spot where neighbors walk their dogs, families gather, and passersby stop to take in the view. Greening Projects came on board around that time and has stuck with the project since, helping keep the momentum going.
Today, Cathryn continues to lead the volunteer effort, with future plans for a southern “Sunset Terrace” and new gathering spaces. Her advice to others taking on similar projects: be patient, persistent, and flexible — and try to make it a fun, creative, rewarding process for everyone involved.
Carolina Street isn’t the only median in San Francisco that’s fallen into this cycle — cared for, then forgotten, then remembered by someone willing to do something about it. Chances are your neighborhood has its own version: an overgrown lot, a bare traffic island, a corner nobody claims anymore.
If that sounds familiar, consider this the nudge to grab some gloves and a couple of neighbors and get started. And if you’re not sure where to begin, we can help.
You can read Cathryn’s full story here: Greening Potrero Hill: The Carolina Green Space Story
Upcoming Events
🌱 Community Meeting: Garden & Art
Join us for a Community Meeting focused on Garden + Art! Come get an update on all the exciting projects happening at the Good Prospect Community Garden.
When: Saturday, August 29, 2026 · 10:00–11:30 AM
Where: Baukunst, 433 Cortland
Perks: Light refreshments will be served!
RSVP: Email bernalbeautiful@gmail.com to save your spot
We look forward to seeing you there and sharing ideas for our community space.
🚶 The Green Density Tour Returns — August 30
Join the Action Network for our popular Green Density Walking Tour on Sunday, August 30, from 3–5 PM. Co-hosted by the Sierra Club’s SF Bay Chapter and Greening Projects, this walk explores Bernal Heights’ ecology — from its hidden hydrological features to the unique geology that shapes how we experience the neighborhood. Along the way, we’ll discuss opportunities to further green the area and create a safer, more welcoming environment for pedestrians and new neighbors.
As always, we’ll stick around afterward for optional drinks, snacks, and conversation.
RSVP soon — this tour always fills up!
About Greening Projects
Greening Projects empowers communities to transform urban landscapes into vibrant, sustainable environments where people and nature thrive together. We partner with community groups and individuals who envision greener neighborhoods and cities, offering expert consulting in planning, design, development, and project management. Through collaborative engagement and professional guidance, we help turn environmental aspirations into tangible green spaces that strengthen community bonds, enhance ecological health, and create lasting positive change in the urban fabric.
Upcoming Events
August Ridge Lane Workday
Aug 23 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
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
Sep 5 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Birdhouse Painting at Ogden Avenue Gardens
Sep 12 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
I enjoy this newsletter and the events list, but I really wish y'all wouldn't use AI to generate flyers. It makes them look like fake events! The Holladay cleanup flyer is particularly gross.