Shaping the Future of San Francisco’s Waterfront
Since 2017, CMG has supported the Waterfront Resilience Program across various planning efforts that range in focus from today to the near and distant future.
From the start, community and stakeholder engagement has consistently fueled the work of CMG and the Waterfront Resilience Program. Engagement has taken on a wide range of formats, from workshops and hands-on planning sessions, to surveys, walking tours, and on-site temporary installations and activities. These interactions have been key to understanding the waterfront as a public space network and envisioning its future collaboratively with those who use it.
Assessing the Waterfront Today
Today: Early efforts included a comprehensive inventory of existing conditions and risks, with community and stakeholder engagement structured to highlight values, priorities, and aspirations for the future.
Taking Action on Urgent Risks
Near-term: The Port is advancing Early Projects based on extensive risk assessment to reduce immediate flood and seismic hazards on the Embarcadero. CMG has supported the development of urban design alternatives and refinement of viable concept designs that couple critical infrastructural upgrades with opportunities to preserve and enhance the public realm.
Planning the Future Waterfront
Long-term: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in collaboration with the Port of San Francisco and city agencies, is conducting the San Francisco Waterfront Flood Study to analyze the risks and effects of sea level rise for the 7.5 miles of waterfront within the Port’s jurisdiction, from Aquatic Park to Heron’s Head Park. The 2024 Draft Plan proposes actions to defend the Port’s shoreline against rising sea levels over the next century. Building on seven Draft Waterfront Adaptation Strategies presented for public review in 2022, the Draft Plan was identified based on extensive cost-benefit analysis, interagency collaboration and refinement, and over six years of community feedback. CMG’s efforts in support of the Flood Study are multi-faceted – ranging from process design, public engagement, and narrative development to technical analysis and ecological planning. If approved by Congress, the Flood Study will proceed to detailed design and engineering of waterfront adaptation projects, with phases of construction occurring over the coming decades.
In the last 200 years, San Francisco’s shoreline has evolved from historic marshland to industrial Port and public waterfront. Over the next century, the Waterfront Resilience Program will be a key piece in the adaptation of the city’s waterfront to address rising sea levels. The scale of change necessary to defend our city from flood and earthquake risks presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity for rejuvenation. We envision a connected waterfront—one that connects the city to the Bay; connects people to each other in inviting public spaces, and through safe and efficient mobility networks; and connects healthy ecosystems along the shoreline, from dry land to the Bay bottom. Our goal is to bridge the past to the future, sustaining San Francisco’s waterfront as one of the most vibrant and viable urban landscapes in the world for generations to come.
