Nicely designed gardens do not need to be expensive. They however do need to be well thought out. Gardens installed in the Curran House, an AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECT in San Francisco's Tenderloin District, are an example of excellent design that build a sense of community. This was designed by Andrea Cochran Landscape Architecture.

This is the "decompression" garden through which residents and visitors enter the building and leave behind the harsh urban neighborhood surrounding it. This sanctuary was planted with tree ferns, baby tears, flax, calla lilies and mondo grass.

A low fountain made of black concrete was placed at the center of the courtyard. The water runs in a thin layer over and flowing over the top through stainless steel grating into a re-circulating vault. This is mask the noises of the Tenderloin pulsing outside and it needed to be child-safe, so it is shallow.

The sunny rooftop garden has galvanized troughs so that residents can grow their own plants and vegetables. As well, the beds are raised for elderly and handicapped people. As the building reached 100 percent occupancy, demand for space out-weighed the number of available plots so citrus trees, pomegranates and kiwi vines were added.