This oral history project traces the changes of San Francisco’s live-work lofts from their beginnings in the 1970s, through the passage of the 1980s ordinance that legalized them, and finally through the 2001 provision that halted further development of these spaces. It seeks to add to our understanding of the city’s counterculture and its history of intentional communities, as well as of the forces that drive property development and gentrification in the city. In a broad sense, the project seeks to understand how neighborhoods and cities have been shaped by artists, and how artists’ roles in their communities have changed over time. Michael Kahan, Co-Director of the Program on Urban Studies, served as the project coordinator. The project’s steering committee includes: Robin Balliger, Chris Carlsson, Abby Chen, Janet Delaney, LisaRuth Elliott, Jackie Francis, David Prowler, Meg Shiffler, Aaron Shkuda, Debra Walker. Michael Kahan and Nova Meurice (’22) conducted interviews for the project. Interviews were conducted virtually over Zoom. Interview subjecs include Debra Walker, Margie O'Driscoll, Jill Scott, Susana Montana, Gwen Roginsky, Peter Wiehl, Irene Zhou, Geoff Schmidtt, Lynn Adler, Laurence Kornfield, and Ralph Scott.

Includes two video recordings created by Felicia Smith: a video recorded for Juneteenth 2020 originally made available via YouTube titled: "Juneteenth Feel Me Updated," and a video of a Black Lives Matter protest held in June 2020 at Galvez St. and El Camino Real, in Palo Alto, California, just outside of Stanford University.

Includes photographs of the Black Lives Matter memorial installation on the Oval by the entrance to Stanford University, created July 10, 2020 by the student-led group Abolish Stanford. These photos were taken on July 12, two days after the installation was created, and on July 22, after flowers had been added to each memorial photograph.