The Center for Architecture + Design recently held a competition called Reimagine. Reconnect. Restore. What if 280 came down?, encouraging design-minded individuals 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 north of 16th Street." Entrants competed for $10,000 in prize money and the results are in. For those of you that need a refresher, momentum is slowly building to remove the northern-most portion of 280 at 16th Street and replace it with a street-level boulevard. The result would connect the adjacent areas of Mission Bay and Potrero Hill to create a more cohesive neighborhood. A grand master plan would also bury or move the nearby Caltrain yards just across Mission Creek. The freed land would be sold to developers to create a new micro-hood located in a transportation-friendly area.
Winners of the competition came up with some pretty far out ideas, most of which are probably impractical, but inspired the spirit of design. Highlights include: integrating earthquake simulators as harvesting systems, restricting high-end real estate in favor of affordable housing, creating a series of urban sand dunes, giving away bicycles to promote a healthy lifestyle, and creating a Highlink elevated park, San Francisco's answer to New York's Highline. It's refreshing to know that original and creative ideas still exist. Visit the Center for Architecture + Design website for more info and renderings on these winning ideas.
·280 Freeway Competition Winners [Center for Architecture + Design]
·Could a New Neighborhood Grow in the Shadow of I-280? [Curbed SF]
·Highline coverage [Curbed NY]