The extension will serve major employment and population centers in San Francisco that are underserved by rapid transit. SoMa is home to the headquarters of many of San Francisco’s major software and technology companies, and substantial residential growth is projected there. Union Square, located in the city's downtown, is a primary commercial and economic district. Chinatown is the most densely populated neighborhood in the city. The Central Subway will connect these areas to communities in eastern San Francisco, including Mission Bay, Dogpatch, Bayview–Hunters Point and Visitacion Valley. The project was initiated after the Embarcadero Freeway was torn down following the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, when activist Rose Pak "almost single-handedly persuaded the city to build" the Central Subway to compensate Chinatown for the loss of the fast cross-town connection.