Jessie Square and Yerba Buena Lane, completed in 2008, are the final open space improvements in San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center redevelopment, and create direct pedestrian connections between the heart of the city's cultural and convention district and the financial and shopping districts.

Jessie Square sits atop a four-level underground parking garage and is surrounded by public uses. The plaza’s design intertwines grass, shrubs, and water to transform the eight-foot elevation difference between Mission Street and the Contemporary Jewish Museum into a stairs-free, gradual slope.

The design incorporates green lawns, stone platforms, and wood benches to create multiple zones for public gathering and seating. The benches are presented as raised visual features, defining and anchoring horizontal elements within the landscape. Jessie Square uses subtle design elements to create an urban outdoor space that is naturally appealing to its users, while simply and elegantly connecting the area’s various uses.

Yerba Buena Lane forms an essential link between Market and Mission Streets with a landscaped pedestrian promenade and vibrant retail corridor. Designed with sensitivity to the human scale, the lane gives definition to individual retailers and restaurants, while providing café seating, shopping, and easy access to areas beyond Yerba Buena.