The Bigger Picture: Five Ideas for Transforming the San Francisco Waterfront

SPUR Report
The Bigger Picture: Five Ideas for Transforming the San Francisco Waterfront Report Cover

SPUR’s Bigger Picture series proposes ideas for key locations in San Francisco, San José and Oakland, the Bay Area’s three largest cities. Each exploration represents an opportunity to tackle major regional challenges through local planning processes. And, conversely, each suggests how big investments in infrastructure can — if planned carefully — bring about positive transformation for the immediate neighborhood.

We partnered with AECOM to identify locations that have important implications for the region. The ideas we explore are not prescriptions but possibilities — offering one vision of what a more sustainable, equitable and prosperous future might look like.

Our second report in the series looks at San Francisco’s waterfront, where climate-protection plans are providing an opportunity to restore the natural ecology and improve access to the waterfront — especially for historically excluded neighborhoods. In our future vision, a continuous bike and pedestrian trail rings the entire San Francisco shoreline. Major investments in infrastructure have protected the city from sea level rise and created a waterfront that welcomes everyone.