It would be a total understatement to say that San Francisco is a unique American city with a totally unique look. There is no place like it.
What fascinates about this incredible city is its uncanny ability to combine the beauty of man with the beauty of nature...and improving on both. The natural setting: the bay serving as amphitetheatre in the center, surrounded by hills and mountains with the Pacific to the west and the Golden Gate connecting the two. Pure enchantment.
San Francisco has taken its peninsular location and enhanced with its white washed, Mediterannean look....the pastels, the bay windows, the mixture of victorian and red tiled stucco. You can look at a pictue of a San Francisco neighborhood and identifying it, knowing it could be no where else.
Even in an era when commercial forces put pressures on cities, SF has gotten better, not worse. It fought freeways, restricted their growth and used an earthquake to tear some down. Even unquestionably dark buildings (like B of A) and come-look-at-me ones like the Transamerica Pyramid, after contraversial starts are embraced as intregal parts of the city.
Yet the future is open ended...and more and more change will come.
So here's my question: IS SAN FRANCISCO (AND, IN EXTENSION, THE WHOLE ENCHANTED BAY AREA) CAPABLE OF MAINTAINING THE MAN MADE END OF THINGS TO MATCH THE NATURAL?
The skyline that once followed the flow of the downtown hills (Nob, Russian, Telegraph) now overpowers it and blocks views.
What will the future bring? Will there be a pressure for added density that could seriously affect views and neighborhood character? Will the unique SF style of design always be protected in future construction? Will the man made contribution to San Francisco keep up with nature's contributions?>
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