Category: Infrastructure
Hard Park Going Soft in Alameda
The City of Alameda is planning to de-pave an area of the former Alameda Naval Air station the size of nine football fields and transform it into an ecological nature park.
A Fix for Old Drains, Old Trees with New Rainfall
To get storm resilient, a stretch of El Camino Real in San Mateo may lose hundreds of historic eucalyptus trees.
Wheat Fields or Walkable City for Solano Open Space?
A proposal for a 17,500-acre new sustainable city in Solano County’s rolling hills has locals worrying and dreaming. County voters will likely embrace or reject the resulting “East Solano Homes, Jobs, and Clean Energy Initiative” in November 2024.
All Stories
Rail Line Reinvents Itself After Pandemic Slump
This North Bay rail system is winning back ridership against the odds, catering to bikers, hikers, shoppers and commuters.
Hard Park Going Soft in Alameda
The City of Alameda is planning to de-pave an area of the former Alameda Naval Air station the size of nine football fields and transform it into an ecological nature park.
A Fix for Old Drains, Old Trees with New Rainfall
To get storm resilient, a stretch of El Camino Real in San Mateo may lose hundreds of historic eucalyptus trees.
Wheat Fields or Walkable City for Solano Open Space?
A proposal for a 17,500-acre new sustainable city in Solano County’s rolling hills has locals worrying and dreaming. County voters will likely embrace or reject the resulting “East Solano Homes, Jobs, and Clean Energy Initiative” in November 2024.
Corps Experiments with Sediment Feed from Shallows
Can tides and waves move sediment placed in the shallows onto wetlands? The Army Corps is experimenting with how to do it.
Stoked for Car-Lite, Bike-Safe Living
After a car crash, Janet Byron switched to an e-bike. Now she is a bike evangelist — and the City of El Cerrito is listening
Making Shade Where There Isn’t Any
There are few trees and public spaces where residents can escape the unrelenting heat in the eastern Coachella Valley. A master plan for shade equity aims to change that.
Who’s on First at the SF Seawall?
Ten months after the Port of San Francisco lowered 288 experimental tiles into the water, these bio-friendly seawall surfaces are already crawling with crabs and covered in kelp. This August, researchers are finally getting a good look at all the tile types in their experiment, which range from large to small, and from bumpy to smooth, and which were hung from the waterfront at three different locations and tidal elevations in October 2022.
Being Human in Big Weather
When it rained this May, it felt unexpected. Based on over 150 years of climate data for San Francisco, May typically gets several days with a light rain. But context is key, and we are coming out of three years of drought—a fact which will generally color memories in a drier hue. “If I’ve learned anything it is that people’s perceptions are usually wrong,” says Jan Null….
Shores that Can Shapeshift AND Stay Put?
The region is obsessing over beach-building. Whether it’s a degraded salt marsh in downtown San Rafael or a sliver of wetlands near the old San Francisco shipyards, local practitioners are adding beaches as nature-based buffers against waves and rising seas to adaptation projects around the Bay.
Why California’s Water Extremes Are Wilder than Ever — And What We Can Do About It
While alternating between drought and deluge is nothing new for California, climate change is making these swings even more dramatic. New research and new policies will help the state prepare as the boom and bust cycle grows ever wilder.
How Far Can Metro Harbors Go on Nature-Based Shore Protection?
Typical flood protections rely on engineered structures. But there’s a new push at the national level of the US Army Corps of Engineers to prioritize working with nature. Storm surge plans currently underway in New York, Miami and San Francisco highlight a range of nature-based fixes.