“This is our love letter to the community” - Urban Alchemy Founder, Dr Lana Miller

(UA) is an invaluable partner and resource, working within and building a community in the Tenderloin District of San Francisco. A peacekeeping presence, this social enterprise has reversed hundreds of overdoses, maintained street cleanliness, enhanced safety, and become a powerful steward of the streets. Their team brings a level of empathy and compassion that can only come from those that have lived experience to draw from.

Our work with Urban Alchemy began with

, where they act as the daily stewards and has continued with the design and development of the Urban Alchemy Oasis. Together, we transformed what was once the nation’s largest open-air drug market into a vibrant, greened community sanctuary.

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, this corner parking lot, with sidewalks rendered impassable by tents made global headlines. Urban Alchemy originally intended to create a deployment and training center for its hundreds of practitioners who support the neighborhood. Faced with the growing crisis, founders soon pivoted to envisioning this space as an opportunity to further build community, gifting two-thirds of the space back to the neighborhood. We worked with the Urban Alchemy team, creating a park for peaceful adults to come to sit, play games, and enjoy free coffee, tea, and water, in a safe, clean environment. The site also features a lush dog park, the only place in the Tenderloin where pets can run freely off-leash, against the backdrop of the “Rivers to the Sky” mural by Adrian Arias and

.

Since opening last week, the community response to this new space has been incredible. Neighbors already fill the space every morning, sitting at the picnic tables playing dominos or chatting over a coffee at the colorful bistro tables. There is always at least one dog rolling around on the green turf, and often many take this rare opportunity to run and play.

Yet the successful launch of the Urban Alchemy Oasis doesn’t mark the end of our work there. We are continuing to listen to neighbors, learning more about their desires for the site. This knowledge will inform upcoming programming by Urban Alchemy and additional site upgrades to come!