Planting Seeds: The Bayview Operahouse Installation is a short documentary film that explores how design can make a difference within a community.

The film documents landscape architecture firm SWA Group’s transformation of the Hunter’s Point Bayview Opera House in San Francisco from forgotten relic to community center. The story shows how design can bring people together and make an environment much better.

The film includes interviews with SWA Group designers, members of the San Francisco Arts Commission, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, members of the local community gardens group Quesada Gardens, and longtime members of the community. It follows the landscape project from its inception, as a way for SWA to celebrate its 50th Anniversary; through finding the site; the planning process; the execution of the designs; and the continued life of the installation today.

By focusing on a pro bono landscape architecture project in an underserved area in San Francisco, the film aims to explore how public and private design partnerships can make a difference in a community.