SOMA Pilipinas-Filipino Cultural Heritage District (2008-2016)

On April 22, 2016 the Board of Supervisors voted to establish SoMa (South of Market) Pilipinas, the first Filipino Cultural Heritage District resolution in San Francisco.

The cultural district was first proposed in 2008 as part of the Western SoMa Plan. The Planning Department published Recognizing, Protecting and Memorializing SoMa Filipino Social Heritage Neighborhood Resources, which presented a discussion of the Filipino community in San Francisco from the 1920s through the 1980s, with an emphasis on identifying buildings or sites in the SoMa neighborhood that are viewed as cultural assets by the Filipino community.

By establishing SoMa Pilipinas the Board of Superviors are acknowledging the historical and present contributions of the Filipino community to San Francisco and commit to further developing SoMa Pilipinas as the regional center of Filipino-American culture. SoMa Pilipinas also seeks to stabilize Filipino residents, business and community-serving institutions.

In 2016, City staff will work with the community to identify strategies that will sustain cultural visibility and vibrancy of SoMa, and provide economic opportunities for the community.

We are now in the Community Planning stage of SoMa Pilipinas! For more information click here.