South Park

South Park is a small, oval-shaped urban park in San Francisco’s South of Market (SoMa) neighborhood, managed by the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department. It is the oldest public park in San Francisco and underwent a major renovation completed in March 2017, which specifically addressed a prior lack of ADA accessibility. The redesign introduced new accessible paths throughout the park, connecting the children’s play area, open meadow, and several plazas. As a free public park, it is open to all visitors at no cost. The renovation also included upgrades to drainage, site lighting, and furnishings, as well as traffic calming improvements at crosswalks and sidewalk extensions at intersections to improve access to the park from surrounding streets.

The 2017 redesign by Fletcher Studio explicitly addressed the park’s prior lack of ADA accessibility, delivering a single meandering pathway that connects all key areas of the park and provides accessible amenities throughout. The park features a children’s play area, a large open meadow, and areas designed for sitting and picnicking. Visitors should note that there are no public restrooms within the park boundaries itself, and service animals are welcome as this is a public park.

Visitors report that the renovated park is easily navigable and relaxing, and note the relatively low traffic volume around the oval park street. Some visitors note the park is best enjoyed during daylight hours.