India Basin Waterfront Park’s Equitable Development Plan

India Basin Waterfront Park is one of only a few parks in the nation to be guided by an Equitable Development Plan (EDP) developed by the community. The EDP ensures the park’s features and programming are culturally relevant and directly benefits the Bayview-Hunters Point community.   

The landmark plan was developed through a two-year community-driven process in which Rec and Park partners A. Philip Randolph Institute (APRI) and Trust for Public Land (TPL) worked with an EDP leadership committee consisting of Bayview-Hunters Point residents and leaders to ensure the park’s design and programming preserves the neighborhood’s identity and culture; spurs workforce and business development; and creates opportunities for youth; among other initiatives. The aim is to ensure that the multi-million-dollar investment to transform the India Basin waterfront uplifts the community beyond its park boundaries.

Click the icons below to learn more about each of the Equitable Development Plan’s six areas of focus:

A core principle of the project is delivering community benefits at every stage. Contracts were awarded to 19 Bayview-Hunters Point contractors and suppliers during the building of the park, including 16 BIPOC-owned businesses, totaling over $15 million in value. Local workforce hiring has also been a priority. A workforce development program through partners APRI and the San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development and its CityBuild Construction Training Academy graduated 16 trainees, several of whom secured jobs with Swinerton Construction to help build the park, while others used their newfound skills to secure other family-sustaining jobs. Rec and Park’s pre-apprenticeship program, launching in January, will train residents in landscape maintenance and urban forestry, preparing them for City and private sector jobs. 

The EDP leadership also prioritized water safety for neighborhood youth. The Bayview Safety Swim and Splash program, led jointly by Rec and Park and the YMCA of Greater San Francisco, has provided free swimming lessons to more than 639 Bayview-Hunters Point kids over the past 3 years. The goal is to ensure that youth are comfortable and confident in the water, meaning that they can swim, float, breathe, and get to safety if needed. 

Other programs that have been implemented through the EDP include:

• Community Innovation Lab

  • The Community Innovation Lab, a tech, sports and recreational programming hub for the Bayview-Hunters Point community. The Lab is an expansion of the park's Tech Hub, which had offered free Wi-Fi access, laptop and tablet lending and technical support, and a variety of community services to neighborhood residents since 2021.

    The lab offers a range of expanded services including free rentals of sports and activity equipment; space for community organizations to host their programming, workshops, networking events, and more; as well as free Wi-Fi access, laptop and tablet lending, technical support, and community services.

• Youth Programs at the Park

  • The project partners have hosted or supported a number of youth oriented programs and activations at the park, including Hip Hop for Change’s Hip Hop in the Park, a youth basketball tournament hosted by US4US, reeoccuring teen nights, Doo Da Activities’s park events, Feline Finesse Dance Troupe community afterschool programs and more.

• Community Vendor Markets

  • The project partners have hosted or supported a number of outdoor markets at India Basin Shoreline Park, which feature local BIPOC-run businesses from the BVHP community, as well as games, food, music and more. These markets include Sankofa Market, Frisco Fridays with Family Equity Partners, Only Loud Squad, Mobbligated and more.

• Financial Coaching

  • The San Francisco Office of Financial Empowerment partnered with the project partners to offer free, one-on-one financial coaching is available to anyone who lives, works, studies, or receives services in the neighborhood. 

• Community Art

  • The project partners have supported a number of art initiatives at the park, including the Hypecourt at India Basin Shoreline Park basketball court. The court was by Nina Fabunmi, a local artist who is a part of the Hunters Point Shipyard Artists community. She led a cohort of five local youth from Bayview-Hunters Point (BVHP) to create several designs that reflected themselves, with the final one being chosen by the community.

    Additional community art programs through the project include Hip Hop for Change’s Hip Hop in the Park, which taught youth music, fashion, graffiti art and more; the Sounds of the Street concert series curated by Illuminate, which brought local artists to the park to perform; a design contest for the Bayview Safety Swim and Splash program logo where participants submitted artwork before then voting on the top creation; and more.