Walking the Talk: Karen Rhodes and the Greening of Bernal Heights

A longtime San Francisco resident transforms neighborhood stairways into community gardens while advocating for walkable streets.

At Greening Projects, we’re fortunate to work alongside extraordinary volunteers who pour their hearts into making San Francisco’s public spaces more beautiful, accessible, and sustainable. Karen Rhodes exemplifies the dedication and vision that make community-led transformation possible. Her tireless work on the Tompkins Stairway Garden and countless other initiatives reminds us that change happens when passionate residents roll up their sleeves and reimagine what our neighborhoods can be. We’re grateful to Karen and all our volunteers who, day after day, prove that small acts of stewardship can profoundly shape our city.

When Karen Rhodes retired in 2017 after decades of working at UC Berkeley, she didn’t slow down. Instead, the Bernal Heights resident, now 71, doubled down on her passion for making San Francisco more walkable, more beautiful, and more connected, one stairway at a time.

“After retirement, I decided to focus on getting more involved in San Francisco,” Rhodes explains. “I noticed the numerous open spaces in Bernal, particularly the concentration of public stairways, and recognized opportunities for neighborhood beautification and greening.”

From Newcomer to Neighborhood Steward

Rhodes has called Bernal Heights home since 1988, when she first moved to the area near Holly Park after graduating from UC Santa Cruz. Over the decades, she’s watched the neighborhood transform while becoming increasingly rooted in her micro-community near Precita Park.

What drew her to San Francisco and kept her here was the city’s vibrant neighborhoods and accessibility to transit and amenities. “I’ve never been attached to a neighborhood staying the same,” she reflects, embracing the dynamic nature of urban life. When she and her husband first arrived, Bernal had a reputation for being “a bit sketchy,” but changes were already underway.

Rhodes became involved in neighborhood organizing through a local block club that distributed newsletters to promote community involvement. The Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center played a significant role in supporting Cortland businesses, and community members organized activities around Bernal Hill, including habitat restoration classes that involved volunteers in clearing non-native plants and reintroducing native species.

Cultivating the Tompkins Stairway Garden

Rhodes’s most visible contribution to the neighborhood came through her work on the Tompkins Stairway Garden project. After connecting with neighbor Vicky Rideout and others in 2017, she threw herself into planning, fundraising, and grant writing. The result, which opened in June 2019 after about 2.5 years of work, transformed a neglected public stairway into a thriving community green space.

The project exemplifies Rhodes’s approach to urban improvement: identifying underutilized public spaces and mobilizing neighbors to reimagine them. In Bernal Heights, with its distinctive topography and network of public stairways, the opportunities were everywhere for those willing to look.

Advocating Beyond the Neighborhood

Rhodes’s commitment to walkability extends far beyond her own block. She currently serves on the boards of Walk San Francisco and the Bay Area Ridge Trail, where she advocates for pedestrian safety and works to develop a continuous trail network across the Bay Area. She’s also been involved with the San Francisco Crosstown Trail since 2018, designing urban hiking routes and organizing guided outings. The group’s latest offering is the 38-mile Roundabout, which some ambitious walkers complete in a single day.

Supporting Local Green Spaces