Initiatives:

Sustainable Watershed - With the development of a sustainable watershed management plan, storm-water will become more of a resource and less of a waste product for San Francisco. New greening efforts and Low-Impact Design tools will help divert storm-water from City sewers, with many important environmental and health benefits. Urban Watershed Planning

Environmental Education initiatives are targeted toward San Francisco’s historic, industrial neighborhoods South of Market, where new residential and commercial development is replacing rail oriented activities. We support Bike & Pedestrian Improvements, Toxic Soil Remediation, new Open & Green Space, Groundwater and sustainable Waste Water strategies to control flooding and toxic discharges into the Bay.

History of Mission Creek and its forgotten estuary provides insight into the land forms which continue to shape the development of San Francisco, as well as control the vital water systems on the City’s east side. Man-made changes to the environment camouflage the natural landscape, but the underlying soft sediments and natural drainage patterns remain key to our planning and redevelopment efforts.

Public Art as Education can be especially important in urban centers like San Francisco where many recent immigrants have poor to little environmental training. The Avenida del Rio project is a series of “art markers” along the Mission Creek corridor, depicting aspects of the river and estuary that was once beneath our feet, in the hopes that with greater understanding, people will become better stewards of our shared environment.

Seismic Hazard Mitigation - Liquefaction Zones, Urban Planning. San Francisco's downtown industrial neighborhoods South of Market are almost entirely located within seismic hazard zones, due to the soft soil of the estuary they were built upon. State law requires municipalities to utilize State Hazard Maps in land use planning, yet other political priorities in San Francisco always seem to take precedence. The Madrina Group has been working on new zoning and real estate development incentives to encourage environmental cleanup and seismic safety upgrades of properties in these crucial areas.

Affordable Housing, The previously industrial areas on the City’s east side, have long been targeted for needed new housing, yet the best way to weave new housing into commercial areas has been controversial for many years. Adaptive reuse of sound commercial structures was behind the development strategy of Live/Work units, which co-mingled commercial and residential activities, was the original focus of the founding members of the Madrina Group. Recycled building materials is another favorite.

Other Sites with Seismic Information

Seismic Hazard Mitigation - How Prepared Is San Francisco For A Big One?
article by SPUR

New Geologic Maps Highlight Bay Area Earthquake Hazards
Link to downloadable Seismic Hazard Maps of San Francisco Bay Area on the USGS site.

Links to some of our partners sites are on the Contacts page

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