NOW Hunters Point is a program for redevelopment of the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood of San Francisco, a partnership between Studio O, RHAA, and envelopeA+D. With the closing of PG&E’s coal-based power plant adjacent to a historically African-American community, an exhaustive remediation of the site left residents with an expanse of concrete, and the worry that new development would overwhelm and eradicate the existing culture through the process of gentrification. Residents, who understood the inevitability of redevelopment, sought to preserve the richly layered history of the site, and to tell stories which had previously had few outlets for sharing. With this in mind, the designers transformed the site to serve as a platform for multiple programs including recreation, art installations, and community services. Major collaborations included constructing a small studio on site for StoryCorps to record and archive each resident’s personal narrative, a series of listening parties curated by Studio O, and performances by Circus Bella, a local community circus. These efforts all helped to solidify and spatialize the site’s history within the larger urban fabric. What was once understood as an unsafe lot in a forgotten neighborhood is now an entertainment attraction for a multitude of families in San Francisco. While the site’s identity has been reframed, the existing residents can confront the inevitable changing landscape with dignity.
