Elevating & Protecting SF's Diverse Cultural Heritage

San Francisco Cultural Districts celebrate and strengthen the unique cultural identities of San Francisco’s neighborhoods. Each Cultural District is unique in its size, organizational structure, mission, and priorities. Yet this is the only citywide collaborative that addresses the diverse needs of our communities while working towards a common vision: to preserve, protect, and promote cultural heritage. The seven Districts that make up the Collaborative are: - American Indian Cultural District (AICD), the first American Indian Cultural District in the U.S. dedicated to the American Indian legacy, culture, and contributions of Indigenous people. AICD’s goals are to increase the visibility of San Francisco’s American Indians through place making projects; generate more opportunities to elevate community voice; and increase public awareness around the history of American Indian genocide and erasure. - African-American Arts & Cultural District (AAACD), geographically located in the Bayview, AAACD’s goals include promoting safer walkable streets and more welcoming storefronts along Third Street Corridor; creating a financial ecosystem that supports and sustains community businesses and residents; and developing into a destination for African- American culture in California. - Calle 24, the Latino Cultural District, whose goal is to preserve, enhance, and advocate for the Latinx community in the areas of Land Use & Housing; Tenant Protection; Arts & Culture; Quality of Life; and Economic Vitality. - Castro LGBTQ Cultural Districts (CQCD), which seeks to highlight the structures and sites important to LGBTQ history; foster racial, ethnic, gender, and cultural diversity among Castro residents and businesses; and create a safe, beautiful, and inclusive space for LGBTQ+ and allied communities. - Japantown Cultural District, the largest of three remaining historic Japantowns in the United States, whose goals are to implement the Japantown Preservation and Development Vision Master Plan; expand a virtual and physical Co-Creative Hub to support exhibitions of Japanese and Japanese American artists; and launch a Small Business Assistance Center. - Leather & LGBTQ Cultural District (LCD), the world's first officially-recognized leather district, which will support new minority-run businesses through the Business Incubation program; strengthen the district’s identity through culturally- appropriate place-making projects; and host community-building events. - SOMA Pilipinas, the Filipino Cultural Heritage District, fights to preserve the South of Market (SOMA) neighborhood as a gateway community for immigrants and a cultural hub for Filipinos in the Bay Area through large-scale cultural gatherings, creative place-making, protecting historical and cultural assets, and organizing prevented the displacement of Filipino families.

Each Cultural District has a distinct plan for serving their community over the next 1-2 years, with specific outputs in the areas of Resolutions and Legislation, Resourcing Vulnerable Communities, and Cultural Celebration and Placemaking. These range from the AICD increasing archival and oral documentation of history on the urban American Indian legacy in SF; to AAACD supporting small business development projects along Third Street; to Calle 24 training a cohort of youth advocates as ambassadors of the 24th Street corridor. The work is done to strengthen the diverse identities of our seven cultural communities; to enhance their social, political, and economic power; and to ensure that they benefit from the next surge of San Francisco’s economic growth without neighborhood businesses or local residents being priced out. That being said, the impact of our seven cultural communities on the City is immeasurable. Cultural Districts are helping sustain and evolve the traditions, businesses, arts, and practices that make up San Francisco’s unique social and economic fabric.

San Francisco Cultural Districts Collaborative

Elevating & Protecting SF's Diverse Cultural Heritage

Model and Strategy

Impact

Leadership

A. Sparks

Sharaya Souza

Ebon Sean Glenn

Susana Rojas

Tina Aguirre

Susie Kagami

Bob Goldfarb

Raquel Redondiez