David (in hat) with his wife, Paulette, and their three children.
"My family," explains David Friedman, “imprinted on us that access to money wasn’t because we were special. We were all just lucky. But with that luck came the responsibility to help others less lucky and less fortunate. It is a family entrenched in giving back and helping those less fortunate.”
David’s grandfather, Dan Koshland Sr., started the San Francisco Foundation with an aim of providing a level playing field and civic unity. His father was also very involved with the American Civil Liberties Union and the Jewish Home in San Francisco. His mother had a career in social welfare and says Friedman, “to me, she defines philanthropy. She says what she does. Writing a check is the easy part. The hard work is done by the people in the organizations trying to help people break the cycle of poverty every day.”
David and his wife, Paulette, have always taken this message to heart as their deep commitment to philanthropy can attest. (Their children have as well; all three have careers focused on helping others.) We caught up with David right after the election to reflect on his work, his love of cities, and generations of giving back to the community. His engineering firm, Forell/Elsesser, did the retrofits for such civic institutions as San Francisco City Hall, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and the Asian Art Museum.
Philanthropy is in your blood. What issues are closest to your heart?
Paulette and I are focused on social justice and economic development, women’s rights, LGBT rights and organizations that systematically try to break the cycle of poverty. Our foundation, the Faultline Foundation, is not about earthquakes, but just as a fault represents a weakened plane in the earth, there is a “fault line” between poverty and economic self-sufficiency. Some of our favorite organizations, apart from SPUR and the Jewish Home, are Build for Change, Hope SF, Equal Rights Advocates and the Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights.
How did you first get interested in cities and how did you first get interested in SPUR?
Through engineering. Though my dad was an architect, I liked civil engineering. I really liked structures and really found my passion for earthquake engineering. I love the design and construction process. And I love preserving old buildings and making them seismically safe. As for cities, I have always love traveling to cities around the world. It’s SPUR that has really turned me into an urbanist. I love the melting pot that makes up most cities — though I don’t like all cities! (Dallas and Houston come to mind).
So you’re not a big fan of Texas. What’s your favorite city?
Apart from San Francisco, I’d say Florence or Rome.
Favorite building?
City Hall, San Francisco.
Favorite view?
The view of the Golden Gate Bridge from our house.
Favorite book about cities?
David Talbot’s Season of the Witch.