280 Freeway Competition winners re-envision San Francisco

Tue, 10 Sep 2013 13:01:07 +0000

Could San Francisco be made anew by the removal of Highway 280 as it runs through the city north of 16th Street? That’s what the Center for Architecture + Design asked in a recent contest. For a cash prize of $10,000, the competition ”encouraged artists, academics, architects, planners, landscape architects and designers to submit concepts for public art, buildings, landscape treatments, public amenities and infrastructure, or other urban design interventions made possible through the replacement of Highway 280,” according to the Center’s official website.

Background

In 2013, Mayor Ed Lee announced his office would consider ideas for potential redevelopment upon removal of Highway 280?s stub, plus shrinking or removing the CalTrain yard. Both currently hamper Mission Bay’s transformation from gritty scene of defunct industrialization and tumbleweeds to a hub of science, education, commerce, and waterfront living.

Taking up this challenge, Center for Architecture + Design called for proposals that would not only transform the landscape, but would meet demands of current urban planning: concepts such as local food growing and harvesting, ecological creation and use of energy, the integration of public transportation and bike paths, and outdoor space for people to exercise, enjoy and generally live healthier lives. The contest also asked applicants to account for regional transit projects: “the electrification of Caltrain; the extension of Caltrain into the Transbay Terminal; and the transition of high-speed rail underground, as opposed to having it travel at street level through Potrero Hill and Mission Bay, which would require crossing streets to go below grade.”

Winners

Each of the winning designs includes those elements listed. The gallery shows only a few of the winners and the renderings of each winning concept, with more information on each. For a full list of winners and the complete description of each proposal, visit the Center’s website.

History

Removing sections of freeway from the San Francisco landscape isn’t a new concept. Both the Embarcadero and Hayes Valley neighborhoods were literally and figuratively transformed when freeway exits were deconstructed, allowing usable neighborhood space to grow up in their place. And certainly, real estate values in both areas increased as each new community developed.

In the case of the Embacadero, for 30 years the highway divided the waterfront and the original Ferry Building from downtown. But after the freeway on ramp to the Bay Bridge was removed, redevelopment ushered in a grand boulevard with attractions for residents and tourists alike, and with it the crowds, commerce, and prosperity the area enjoyed in the early 20th century, before construction of the Bay Bridge. Similarly, in Hayes Valley, the 1950s construction of the Central Freeway through the neighborhood brought pollution, traffic, and general decay. After being damaged in the Loma Prieta earthquake, it was eventually demolished. The rebuilt area provides home to the Hayes Valley Farm, a playground and art space, new shops and restaurants, and new housing.

What could the city be?

What do you say, readers? What are the winning ideas presented for this part of this city? In this bid to un-pave paradise, what could work? And what might not?

Anna Marie Erwert writes from both the renter and new buyer perspective, having (finally) achieved both statuses. She focuses on national real estate trends, specializing in the San Francisco Bay Area and Pacific Northwest. Follow Anna on Twitter: @AnnaMarieErwert

Article source: http://blog.sfgate.com/ontheblock/2013/09/10/280-freeway-competition-winners-re-envision-san-francisco/

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280 Freeway Competition winners re-envision San Francisco

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