[throwhypothetic]

This time it is different. People really are doing their jobs without ever visiting the office. They may not readily shift back.

As for San Francisco, some would argue that the "end of San Francisco" already occurred because of the tech industry. People are obsessed with the idea that tech will leave town because they preferred the way it was before.

[Lammy]

I would argue the "end of San Francisco" took place on December 2, 1955 at Lincoln High School when the Supervisors voted for becoming a tourist attraction and against being a city for the working class.

[xref]

Couldn’t immediately find the reference on DDG, anyone have a link with more info?

[mlinksva]

What does this refer to? Searching ... Stopping the Western Freeway? It seems there was a meeting at that place on that date, though the supervisors didn't vote on the matter until 1959. https://www.foundsf.org/index.php?title=West_Portal https://www.outsidelands.org/streetwise-freeways.php

[Lammy]

I did intend to say 1959, sorry. Fatfinger :)

The Freeway revolts, yes. They are exoterically held up today as an example of early environmentalism and even anti-racism, but when I started learning about the history, the groups responsible, and the demographic changes that were happening at the time a very different esoteric picture emerged.

Check out the cover story of the 1954 edition of "The Negro Traveler's Green Book" (pages 11–18, inclusive) about how San Francisco is "fast becoming the focal point of the Negros' future" despite "being squeezed into two areas of San Francisco today":

https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/3c85ba30-9374-0132...

Then realize that one of those two areas (Western Addition / Fillmore area) was connected to the Central Freeway by the former Turk / Golden Gate ramps and that that's when the fervor against the Western Freeway started in earnest.

And now so much for that formerly-bright future: https://www.forbes.com/sites/priceonomics/2016/05/11/the-afr...

I'm sure it's totally coincidental that the conversion of the north-of-Market segment of the Central Freeway into Octavia Blvd kept the Oak/Fell connection but blocked the Turk/GGate connection entirely.

Just imagine what today's SF could be like if every new piece of architecture wasn't "hostile architecture". The pre-1956 appearance of Civic Center Plaza might be an indication: https://i.redd.it/u30i14rbd3e51.jpg

edit: I forgot to mention that Lincoln High is in a neighborhood that explicitly banned sale to non-whites via redlining and racial deed covenants:

https://default.sfplanning.org/Preservation/sunset_survey/Ad...

"In San Francisco, many of the largest private builders of the 1920s to 1950s—such as Baldwin & Howell Henry Doelger, Standard Building Company, and Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (Parkmerced)—included racial covenants or discriminatory practices prohibiting non-Caucasians from purchasing and/or renting properties, particularly in the western and southwestern area of San Francisco. It is interesting to note, however, that Sunset District builders typically did not adopt racially restrictive deeds until the late 1930s."

The Western Freeway, of course, would have connected these neighborhoods quickly up to all the others. As to why the Sunset District didn't adopt racial covenants until the 1930s, I wager it might have something to do with most of it not existing yet :)

This is what the Sunset Ave area looked like in 1938, for example: http://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/s/e0zozf

[seehafer]

Can you elaborate more what you mean by this? What did they vote for on that date?

[Lammy]

Too late to edit, but *1959

[ajay-b]

San Francisco offers a lot that I think will always make it a high price, competitive place to live.