Page 281 - Beyond Decommissioning

262 Beyond Decommissioning

Soon after the dock’s regeneration, a policy had been adopted to attract retailers
into the newly created spaces. However, after many years of hard competition with
other major shopping areas in Liverpool, the Albert Dock Company Ltd. announced
in 2007 a shift into attracting more bars and restaurants (Albert Dock, n.d.).
The Master plan for the redevelopment of Pier 70, Port of San Francisco, USA is
described in San Francisco Port (2010). Pier 70, a 27-ha historic shipyard property
located along San Francisco’s Central Waterfront represent a significant part of the
maritime history of the San Francisco Bay. The site played an important role in the
industrialization of the USA, where supplies were manufactured for the California
Gold Rush, Nevada’s mining, and the Transcontinental Railway. Ships built at Pier
70 supported the US military initiatives from the Spanish American War through
the two World Wars and into more recent times.
The area is characterized by sharp contrasts: shipyard cranes hanging over cruise ves-
sels in dry dock; fenced-off industrial buildings; and the relics and the ruins of many
decades of industrial use. Pier 70’s shipyard includes historic buildings that are not only
valuable architecturally, but also capture the public interest by recalling past shipbuild-
ing, steel manufacturing, and maritime activities. The sense of historical continuity is
kept alive because ship repair continues at Pier 70.
In 1997, the San Francisco Port Commission identified the preservation of Pier 70’s
ship repair industry and history as key priorities in the Waterfront Land Use Plan.
Since then, no efforts have been spared to achieve planned objectives. The vision mer-
ges rehabilitation of historic buildings, the ongoing functions of the existing shipyard,

Fig. 6.47 Albert Dock.
Photo by M. Laraia, 2009.