Mission Creek: Sea level rise adaptation study

This study considers different design concepts to “hold the line” on sea level rise at Mission Creek in San Francisco and weighs the pros and cons of each. Concepts include raising seawalls, filling and creating tidal basins through an outboard levee and building a tidal gate that could be closed during extreme high tides. The study is a first step toward imagining what a future with sea level rise could look like for the city.

One of the key questions for San Francisco in adaptation planning is where to put the line of defense – or in other words what is allowed to flood and what is not. Will the new shoreline protection be along the shore, and will new infrastructure be built further out, or could some portions of the city be given back to the bay? Considering these questions, the study developed seven different adaptation concepts - three for the creek, four for the bay shoreline - that explore various alignments for protecting the shoreline. 

The document describes different adaptation options and concludes by recommending that work begin towards a Citywide Adaptation Plan, consistent with the recently published San Francisco Sea Level Rise Adaptation Plan. The plan would encompass the entire bay shoreline, but also develop near-term adaptation plans for high-risk shoreline assets and geographic areas. Such a plan should encourage and integrate innovative, interdisciplinary design thinking and solutions for adaptation