OCTOBER | Water Reconnect
San Francisco’s geographic position at the tip of a peninsula creates many of the magical things about it, yet the general public doesn’t have good access to most of the Bay. While views of the Bay are readily found, and the western shore is lined with public beaches, much of the eastern shore is more problematic. The physical remains of its industrial and port history in many cases literally acts as a barricade.
One fine example is Warm Water Cove Park, under the jurisdiction of the Port of San Francisco which is billed as having “Bay Access” and a fishing pier. Hours and hours of volunteer effort have gone into trying to rehab the space, but a fishing pier and safe access to the water it doesn’t have. Pier 70 contains about 69 acres of historic industrial and port structures, but as yet isn’t integrated into the fabric of the proposed Blue Greenway or accessible to the public. There is a strong need to navigate the transition from our historic relationship with the Bay, to one grounded in the needs and values of the 21st century and beyond.
In addition, there is only one public boat launch currently available in San Francisco. Boat or kayak rentals are expensive, and city living does not lend itself to storage of personal water craft. There are so few areas to fish that people parking along US 101 to fish off the embankment is a fairly common sight.
How can we render the edge of our eastern shoreline more accessible, and reconnect our people with the waterfront? There are lots of large projects on the boards, and proposals slowly chugging forward. In the meantime, what interventions, structures, projects or creative re-use would you propose to help crack open that edge of our city? How could we highlight and reinvigorate our Eastern shores?
Want to submit an entry to this contest? Check out the entry guidelines and register through the HOW page!