Phantom Coast: Transforming San Francisco’s Eastern Waterfront

Join GSD alumni and friends for a discussion and presentation with current GSD students on the work of the Fall 2017 Option Studio exploring the imaginative potential of the San Francisco Seawall as both innovative infrastructure as well as a dynamic and engaging public open space.

The San Francisco Seawall—an incrementally constructed bulkhead that once supported a vibrant shipping industry— is now a failing piece of infrastructure that anchors the eastern edge of the city. The Seawall no longer responds to the structural, cultural, or ecological needs of the evolving San Francisco waterfront or broader urban context.

In an age where addressing change is a tenet of meaningful public open space and infrastructure design, the San Francisco Seawall demands an innovative strategy for creating a new and vital civic spine at the San Francisco Bay’s edge that is itself a document of the city’s maritime, transportation, and cultural heritage and immersed in regional ecology. Perhaps most importantly, this infrastructure can become a new forum for civic engagement and activism in San Francisco.

Date: Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Time: 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Location: Surface Design, Pier 33 1/2 North, The Embarcadero, Suite 200, San Francisco, CA 94133, Google Map

This event is organized by James Lord MLA ’96 and Roderick Wyllie MLA ’98.