Join SPUR’s Transportation Policy Director, Laura Tolkoff, in conversation with Oakland's Director of Transportation, Josh Rowan, about building safer streets across the city. Come hear how his team is advancing this vision, what progress has been made so far, and what’s next in their efforts to create a safer, more accessible transportation network for all Oaklanders.

This summer, Urban Land Institute (ULI) San Francisco invited designers, planners, and community members to reimagine Market Street—San Francisco’s most iconic civic boulevard—as a place that better serves everyone who lives, works, and visits the city. Six winning visions were selected as part of the Market Street Reimagined program. Join us at SPUR as we welcome the six winners to present their ideas. Each team will share a 5-minute presentation of their vision board, followed by time for conversation and discussion with the audience.

As cities face housing shortages, student housing is emerging as a vital solution — easing pressure on the broader housing market, offering a viable path for developers, and supporting universities’ growing enrollment. With rising demand and heightened attention, the question becomes: how do we create housing that not only meets the needs of students but also strengthens our communities? This program will explore innovative models, design strategies, and cross-sector collaboration to shape student housing that serves students while strengthening communities.

As federal support for climate action and resilience recedes, state and local governments must step up. This program will explore how SPUR and partners are responding, the policies and coalitions emerging, and how we can all help advance climate action, resilience, and equity.

Join SPUR for an insider’s tour of Genentech’s South San Francisco campus, the birthplace of biotech. Explore the company’s history and future while learning how it’s advancing sustainability, reducing transportation impacts, and strengthening community connections. Get a preview of Genentech’s long-term plans — including its upcoming 50th anniversary — and its vision for a more sustainable and connected Bay Area.

The City and County of San Francisco faces increasingly complex challenges, from housing affordability to public safety to climate resilience, that demand effective and responsive governance. Yet the San Francisco City Charter, the foundational legal document meant to serve as the city's local "constitution," constrains rather than enables effective governance.In this panel, we'll sit down with experts to explore SPUR's recommendations in Charter for Change: Empowering San Francisco's government through charter reform that modernize the city charter, creating a governance framework that empowers leadership, ensures accountability, and allows the city to address its challenges.