A major milestone in coastal advocacy just occurred in Northern California, and it’s a story every Southern California resident should be following. The California Coastal Commission recently approved a landmark plan to turn a two-mile stretch of San Francisco’s Great Highway into a permanent, car-free coastal park.
For years, this stretch of road served as a high-speed bypass for commuters. But during the pandemic, it was temporarily closed to cars, and something remarkable happened: it became one of the city’s most beloved social spaces. Now, that transformation is being made permanent.
Why This Matters for Pacific Surf and Trail This isn’t just a “San Francisco story.” It is a blueprint for how we should be thinking about our own “social spaces” as we approach 2028. The Great Highway project proves that infrastructure is not permanent—it can be reclaimed.
At Pacific Surf and Trail, we often talk about “Objective Oversight,” but the “Crunchy” side of our soul believes in the “Social Value” of a sunset. When we prioritize cars and transit speed over the ability for a family to walk safely along the coast, we lose the very essence of why people live here.
The “Social Space” Precedent The Coastal Commission’s decision was based on a simple fact: the highway was crumbling into the ocean due to sea-level rise. Rather than spending millions on a futile attempt to “armor” the road with concrete walls, the city chose a “Managed Retreat” strategy. They are letting the road go and replacing it with a park that moves with the environment, not against it.
Our Take: As we look at the Shoreline Drive Realignment in Long Beach or the access trails in San Clemente, we need to ask the same questions. Are we building concrete walls to protect roads, or are we building natural spaces that protect our community’s access to the water?
The Great Highway proves that we don’t have to accept “business as usual.” If we can turn a four-lane highway into a park in San Francisco, we can certainly ensure that our own 2028 projects prioritize people over pavement.
The Bottom Line: Every “temporary” Olympic project is an opportunity to rethink our shoreline. Let’s look to the North as a reminder that we have the power to demand better, more beautiful, and more accessible social spaces.
Read more about the Great Highway park in the SFGate: https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/sf-great-highway-new-park-winning-over-critics-20292838.php