📰 What Happened: Facing $110 billion in projected flood defenses and a mandate to build 440,000 homes by 2031, San Francisco planners are reexamining land reclamation. A pilot concept at Hunters Point envisions 700 acres of new, elevated land hosting up to 20,000 homes—built for resilience and connected to transit infrastructure.

🔍 A Closer Look: Unlike past reclamation models, this approach emphasizes green infrastructure, ecological sensitivity, and job-housing balance. Strategic shoreline expansion could reduce flood risk while opening space for mid-rise, affordable housing. A dozen similar zones could meet nearly all of the Bay Area’s housing targets while bolstering coastal defenses.

🧠 Why It Matters: As climate and housing pressures converge, the Bay Area must choose between incremental retreat and transformative adaptation. Land reclamation could shift the paradigm—if regional governance aligns. With the right framework, the Bay could become a global model for resilient, inclusive urban growth.