City of the future

Yesterday at the Ferry Building, some of the most innovative architects in San Francisco showed off their versions of what the city might look like a hundred years from now. The models will remain on view for the public, but for people who can't get down to the waterfront to see them, the Chronicle describes some of the common ideas. Cars are no longer seen on city streets, towers will sprout high into the sky, fog will disappear or be harvested. The predictions sound visionary, and few who are in San Francisco today will live to see whether they come true, but it is good to know that some people are planning for a future. In a year when so many things are going wrong in the economy, it is heartening to think that people will work their way through problems and the city may come out stronger and better for our grandchildren and their children.