Topographical shifts at the urban waterfront explores sea level rise as the opportunity for a new diverse edge along San Francisco’s industrial eastern waterfront. With extensive new developments planned and constructed along this edge, the industrial eastern waterfront is the area of San Francisco most adaptable to change. Historically, as this area was greatly altered from the original coastline, much of it remains on the liquefaction zone and is bay fill. If sea level rise was to follow predicted course over the next 100 years much of this edge would be at the elevation of tidal wetlands. However sea level rise will constantly be in flux as it adjusts and shifts over time, and any intervention should be capable to alter with it.

Currently this industrial land represents the lowest FAR and economic densities in San Francisco, with vast parking lots and large warehouses. With sea level rise this underutilized industrial edge of San Francisco provides the opportunity of the proposed green infrastructure system. Proposed ecological system will allow for migration of wetlands through ecological and urban connectors extending from tidal flats and marshlands to grasslands and upland forest. This pervi- ous landscape will also work to cleanse toxic land before it contaminates the bay and recharge the groundwater system to decrease salinity in the bay.

All proposed developments along edge shall be built at higher elevations while the ecological system extends at lower elevations from the waterfront west towards the residential hills and parks of San Francisco. Park corridors with higher densities will be in juxtaposition to the downtown core. New proposed urban development, existing reconfigured port activities, and proposed ecological and cultural habitats will diversify the industrial waterfront edge.

This complicated edge of the industrial landscape of San Francisco calls for various interventions that recognize the need for change over time and adjust- ment for future. For our generation, we must decide which areas are crucial to protect, and which areas can take a natural course of change, and shift and adjust as we negotiate with the sea.