Beautiful sunny days on a park bench are about to get better for San Francisco residents. City Supervisor Mark Farrell brokered a $600,000 donation from Google to fund the necessary equipment, installation and maintenance for wireless service in outdoor public spaces for two years. Providing Internet access to 31 San Francisco parks, plazas and recreation centers, the open fields may soon be the best place to secure Wi-Fi. Both Google and San Francisco officials see this partnership as providing more than a luxury to residents. Representatives see broad Wi-Fi access as a means of strengthening community, bridging the enduring digital divide and enhancing the quality of life in an increasingly connected world.

Farrell envisions a San Francisco that pioneers digital solutions for residents that are accessible and fitting for their technology infused lifestyles. Farrell was quoted in the San Francisco Gate stating, “There are so many added benefits – it will help bridge the digital divide, it will empower local residents and community groups who will have access at local parks, and it will help Recreation and Park Department staff sign up kids for camps and recreation programs with Internet speed many people would be shocked doesn’t already exist.”

Mashable’s Sam Laird referred to Google’s gesture as “a smooth PR move,” but suggests it also reflects sincere social concern. Google’s senior manager for public policy and government relations says the company is “proud to provide free Wi-Fi in San Francisco.” She adds, “We hope that free Wi-Fi will be a resource that the city and other local groups will be able to use in their efforts to bridge the digital divide and make their community stronger.”

Internet access in open public spaces seems to be evolving as what San Francisco Recreation and Park Director, Phil Ginsburg calls a “best practice.” He looks to New York’s various wireless enabled parks and Paris, in which every city park has Wi-Fi, as examples of the evolving standard. Given that a similar proposal fell through due to political disputes amongst the board of directors and Mayor Ed Lee, Farrell decided to play the long game in making San Francisco a connected city. He explains, “The sentiment was, since trying to do citywide Wi-Fi like before might be met with resistance, let’s pick off an area that makes a ton of sense and would make a huge difference to residents’ daily lives. If we get it done right, we can use it as a model moving forward, ultimately with the goal of free Wi-Fi across the city.”

San Francisco Citizens Initiative for Technology and Innovation, a non-profit tech advocacy group comprised of several tech companies, will partner with the San Francisco Department of Technology to implement the technology. The San Francisco Examiner reports the wireless company, iNet will install the equipment using existing city infrastructure including utility poles, fiber optic cables and radio towers. The fully developed system will then be gifted to the Department of Technology.

The project still requires approval from the Planning Department and Recreation and Parks Commission. According to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, the project would start in December 2013 and complete in Spring 2014. The 31 sites are listed and mapped below.

• ALAMO SQUARE
• BALBOA PARK
• BERNAL HEIGHTS RECREATION CENTER
• BOEDDEKER PARK
• CHINESE RECREATION CENTER
• CIVIC CENTER PLAZA
• CORONA HEIGHTS
• CROCKER AMAZON PLAYGROUND
• DUBOCE PARK
• EUREKA VALLEY REC CENTER
• GENE FRIEND REC CENTER/SOMA
• HAMILTON REC CENTER
• HUNTINGTON PARK
• JOSEPH LEE RECREATION CENTER
• JUSTIN HERMAN PLAZA
• MARGARET HAYWARD
• MARINA GREEN
• MINNIE & LOVIE WARD REC CENTER
• MISSION DOLORES PARK
• MISSION REC CENTER
• PALEGA RECREATION CENTER
• PORTSMITH SQUARE
• RICHMOND RECREATION CENTER
• ST MARY’S REC CENTER
• ST MARY’S SQUARE
• SUE BIERMAN PARK
• SUNNYSIDE PLAYGROUND
• SUNSET PLAYGROUND
• TENDERLOIN CHILDREN’S REC CENTER
• UPPER NOE RECREATION CENTER
• WASHINGTON SQUARE

Map