KCBS In Depth: Bay Area Architecture and Urban Design

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) — Some of San Francisco's best buildings and parks have gone up in the last 10 years, according to John King, urban design reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle. His weekly 'Cityscape' column has been running since 2009 and he has a new book, Cityscape-San Francisco and its Buildings.

From aesthetic to functionality the argument of old architecture versus new buildings is still debatable, but the shift of employment is showing that job growth in the Silicon Valley is drawing more tech-based campuses to the South Bay.

KCBS interviews John King, SF Chronicle Urban Design reporter:

However, San Francisco is taking note of the modern strategies, including what designers call "experience economy", listening to what employees want and designing new buildings in the vain of other Google and Yahoo.

"People don't want to be locked into a cubicle for eight hours anymore. People would rather have a campus that flows back and forth. People want a sense of presence," said King.

Google, in fact, does have a San Francisco office and now Twitter plans on moving to a blighted stretch of Market Street. King added that Sales Force plans on developing a 12-acre campus in the UCSF Mission Bay Area.

San Francisco's AT&T Park was the first new building or structure since the Golden Gate Bridge that was loved by the masses according to King.

"It allows for a real community in an area that was once devoid of people," said King.

As for the job boom in the South Bay, King said San Francisco will never be the economic center of the region again. It used to be considered the "corporate center of the west coast" according to King, but he said the city has maintained the same number of workers in its downtown that it had 20 years ago.

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