San Francisco Waterfront Resilience Program

San Francisco, CA

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CMG is part of the team developing plans to reimagine and protect the waterfront from two very different threats, the danger of earthquakes and the likelihood of sea level rise. Foundational to over three miles of urban waterfront stretching from Fisherman’s Wharf to Mission Creek is an aging seawall. The Seawall project supports historic piers, wharves and buildings as well as stabilizes filled lands containing critical city infrastructure and protects Bayfront neighborhoods from coastal flooding.

Shaping The Future of San Francisco’s Waterfront

The Port of San Francisco has embarked on the Resilience Program to address immediate life safety upgrades and infrastructure improvements to provide for the next generation of Bay Area urbanites and users. The Waterfront Resilience Program improves safety, reduces damage, and enhances the environment by repairing, altering, or replacing the seawall and associated infrastructure. It provides the foundation and connected vision to further develop people-scaled enhancements while building prioritized and resilient infrastructure upgrades. The goal is to enable San Francisco’s waterfront to continue to be one of the most vibrant and viable urban landscapes in the world. Community and stakeholder engagement is a key to how our urban design team is analyzing how the Seawall is working as public space network, and which components of the existing Seawall have the most potential to contribute higher value public space to the Port and the community.

The planning phase assessment encompasses a comprehensive inventory of existing conditions, with community and stakeholder engagement structured to highlight values, priorities, and aspirations for the future. By combining public use patterns and opportunities with other urban design qualities such as connectivity, microclimate, views, and architectural assets, the team has created a comprehensive mapping of existing conditions, problems, and opportunities, which then act as the foundation of urban design alternative scenarios. Community engagement has taken on a wide range or formats, from workshops and hands on planning sessions, to surveys, polls, and on-site temporary installations and activities.

The Waterfront Resilience Program will be successful by optimizing co-benefits that help ensure financial sustainability and enduring community support. The project alternatives will be fundable and implementable, while also creating a memorable world class waterfront that will be the pride and joy of all San Franciscans; a legacy that will tremendously improve the quality of life for future generations and celebrate the history of our city and culture that has been so intimately linked to the Bay.