From the Pacific Ocean to the bayshores along the Oakland waterfront, the Bay Area is home to a multitude of natural escapes. Among these is the Albany Bulb. Jutting into the San Francisco Bay, it boasts impressive 360 degree views and a deep history. Until 1892, the land was the homebase for an infamous dynamite factory, Giant Powder Company. Little is known about what happened to the land after the factory closed, though between 1963 to 1983, it was a landfill lot for construction debris. But before all of this, the Huichin Ohlone people originally called it home.

Carrying its many different lives and titles, the Albany Bulb is currently known as a multifaceted outdoor sanctuary nestled in the San Francisco Bay, featuring installations from local artists, art festivals, marsh tours and so much more. Albany Bulb has become a natural celebration of both history and present identity, supported by its ongoing efforts of Indigenous reclamation and archival acknowledgement. With this in mind, the space has become an encouraging place for people to get outside and involved with their local community, while reflecting on the history that is spatially alive.

This conversion of Albany Bulb has been met with generally positive reactions, while other green space efforts in the Bay have been faced with starkly opposite ones.

A point of contention in the green space conversation is the Great Highway. The Great Highway is an unobstructed beach-side road spanning 3.5 miles along Ocean Beach on the western side of the city. The first roads constructed along the Great Highway can be traced back to the 1860s, when horse drawn carriages for travellers and residents looking for relaxing fun traveled them. Now, it’s not just a tourist destination but a valuable path for transportation to and from work, as “two-thirds of the Upper Great Highway’s drivers use it to commute between the Richmond District and South Bay, according to the County Transportation Authority’s report.” Despite this, in 2024 San Francisco voters chose to close it to vehicle traffic for plans of its reconstruction into a green space. The space, set to open officially on April 12, is a planned 2 mile long, 50 acre park including everything from nature murals to skate parks, lounge areas, sculptures and an open space for live music. The park remains unnamed as of now, but results of a public naming competition will be announced by April 10th.

In the midst of shutting down San Francisco’s Great Highway to make way for new green spaces, conversation has circled around issues of accessibility, urban planning, transportation challenges. This raises an important question: Is the best way to create more green space through industrialization and commodification of nature for human experience?

There is both excitement for a new open space alongside a beautiful California beach, as well as major public backlash from many local SF residents. Residents of the Sunset, enraged over a disruption to their daily life with this shift in traffic flow, claim to sue the city for the closure. Open the Great Highway(OGH) is a community organization likewise leading strong efforts against the plans, rooted in the concern for increasing climate change and neighborhood safety. San Francisco’s traffic problem is ever increasing and comprehending the number of people that use the Great Highway as daily, crucial transportation, OGH’s frustration is likely not going down without a fight. Others, like Friends of Ocean Beach Park who are working to create this new park opening on April 12, are enthused about this change as they envision a long-term restoration of the oceanfront as a result.

Further frustration comes from conservationists who would argue that the most effective way to protect nature is by simply not touching it. It is easy to see the decline of diversity and preservation at the expense of human capitalism and anthropogenic causes. San Francisco Recreation and Parks plans to collaborate with the California Coastal Conservancy to conduct a variety of studies ranging from traffic to sea level rise –– an amazing feat for the bay ocean conservation. But it must be considered that an increased number of people walking, biking, eating and so forth may not be the key to truly preserving wildlife. Though attending the beach is not an equation to the destruction of marine life, one must ask if the approach to marine conservation might feature less human intervention.

When learning about this drastic change and the future implications of The Great Highway closure, there remains the looming question. What should be considered more important: implementing more recreational areas or reducing congestion in bustling cities?

The Great Highway's shift from highway to multipurpose park isn’t just about opening a new greenspace; it's part of a much larger conversation about how access to nature, transportation, and urban planning intersect.

In East Bay cities like Alameda, greenspace is incredibly intertwined with their transportation infrastructure—especially Bay Area Rapid Transit. BART has been around since 1972 connecting all parts of the Bay Area with 50 stations that span 131 miles of track. While their Alameda above-ground tracks create extra space, their underground routes in Berkeley limit greenspace, creating a sharp contrast in how these cities experience the environment. With the Great Highway’s closure now in play, this is an essential time to evaluate how transportation decisions in the East Bay, above and below ground, shape the urban landscapes we live in.

Green spaces can easily get lost in the midst of constant urban expansion but they’re ever present and evolving. Active awareness of the history of the Albany Bulb and ongoing plans for the new park along Ocean Beach helps to continue both conversation and ensure that urban oases flourish.