As San Francisco prepares to host the 2013 America's Cup regatta, plans to use parts of the city's scenic waterfront for spectators' yacht parking edge too far into the public realm, according to this piece from the San Francisco Chronicle.
"If Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison and organizers of the high-profile regatta get their way, the Embarcadero's widest stretch of open water would be turned into a parking lot for two dozen spectator yachts at least 100 feet long. The rich and famous would have access to this watery perch not for a matter of days or weeks, but for the months leading up to and including the storied regatta.
Nor does the imposition end there. If the basin alongside Rincon Park requires dredging to accommodate a class of ships where size most emphatically matters, regatta organizers have the option to turn the basin into a commercial marina. Today's wide-open views might never return."
Urban design writer John King warns that the temporary sporting event could potentially have a very long-term impact on the public realm in San Francisco.
FULL STORY: Cup's yacht plan threatens our wide-open bay views
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