The relocation of a museum in San Francisco offers a model for how private developments can create quality public space, writes John King.
The kid-focused science museum The Exploratorium is moving to a new site on San Francisco's Embarcadero. With it will come a new public space that King says will create a real benefit to the public.
"Encircling the ticketed portion of the Exploratorium will be 1.5 acres of publicly accessible space, starting with a plaza along the Embarcadero. We'll be able to stroll the "apron" along the south and east edges of Pier 15 and ascend to a second-floor perch in a new glass observatory building on the end of the pier. A 12-foot-wide causeway will span the inlet and take us to Pier 17, where there will be a walkway along the south edge back to the Embarcadero.
...this is how we connect to "our" bay: the Port of San Francisco finds developers who, thanks to long-term investors or deep-pocketed fans, can absorb the enormous costs of pier restoration and endure the existential review process."
FULL STORY: Public access to S.F. bay tied to private projects
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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
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Planetizen
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Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
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NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service