Wanted: Innovative Ideas for Revitalizing SF

Bay Area Council members Deloitte and Salesforce are among a coalition of organizations behind a new initiative inviting entrepreneurs to submit creative ideas for making San Francisco a more sustainable city. The Yes San Francisco Urban Sustainability Challenge is casting a wide net for innovative ideas that might improve everything from urban food production to better use of downtown real estate. 

“It is alarming that organizations are pulling out, and Deloitte believes we have to lean in,” said Bay Area Council Executive Committee member Kirsten Rhodes, San Francisco managing principal at Deloitte, in a story in the San Francisco Business Times.  “We have to not sit on the sidelines but rather have a really robust set of conversations as to how a collective group of leaders come together to revitalize the city.”

The effort is focused on addressing the significant challenges the city is facing, which Bay Area Council CEO Jim Wunderman discussed in an in-depth interview this week on KCBS where he offered a variety of solutions and approaches.

Applications to support a “sustainable urban transformation” in downtown San Francisco will be accepted through the World Economic Forum’s UpLink platform  from June 9 to July 14. Entrepreneurs chosen for the program will be announced at this year’s Dreamforce conference in San Francisco in September. Yes SF seeks ideas to revitalize spaces across the city, including redesigning indoor and outdoor spaces that bring residents, visitors and new businesses to San Francisco while using sustainable materials that minimize the city’s carbon footprint. Job creation that benefits a cross-section of the city’s population is another plus.