The Oakland Produce Market: Linking Farm to Table in the East Bay
By Christina YunThroughout its nearly century-long history, the Oakland Produce Market has served as the late-night link between rural farms and urban consumers in the East Bay. The oldest American operation of its kind still using original facilities, located in one of Oakland’s oldest neighborhoods, the market is a hidden gem in the historical industrial district near Jack London Square.
San Jose’s Exhibition District Harvests Local Arts Economy
By Alyssa KiesThere are at least 30,000 square feet of blank walls in downtown San Jose. A new nonprofit organization called the Exhibition District is hatching an ambitious plan to cover them with murals by local artists. The goal is to use public art as an economic engine that can both attract people to downtown and pay artists real wages for their work.
Expanding Access to Healthy Food for Low-Income Californians
By Eli Zigas, Food and Agriculture Policy DirectorHealthy food incentive programs — which provide low-income families with matching dollars to buy fruits and vegetables — have been gaining traction in policy circles recently. Why the increased attention? Because these programs work. Expanding them in California would significantly improve healthy food access.
How Can We Move More People Between SF and the East Bay?
By Dylan Pilaar, Erin McAuliff and Ratna AminEach day, nearly 600,000 commuters cross the bay between San Francisco and the East Bay. Bumper-to-bumper traffic is a given on the Bay Bridge, and BART ridership is at peak capacity. A second transbay rail tube will be essential to solving the crunch, but it will take years, or decades, to complete. Here’s how we can break the logjam in the meantime.
State Supreme Court Gives Boost to Affordable Housing
By Kristy Wang, Community Planning Policy DirectorLast week, the California Supreme Court released a key ruling that allows cities to require new market-rate housing developments to include homes that are affordable to people with low or moderate incomes. The case that came to the court’s attention was focused on a 2010 City of San Jose ordinance, but the ruling has broader implications for cities across the state.
Why a Housing Moratorium Won’t Bring Rents Down — and What to Do Instead
By Kristy Wang, Community Planning Policy DirectorThe displacement occurring in the Mission District and elsewhere in San Francisco is indisputably tragic. But we should not be fooled into believing that passing moratoriums on new development is going to solve the city’s affordability crisis. This simply makes housing less available — and makes it likely that more people will be displaced. Here's what we should do instead.
A Cleaner Future for the Bay Area’s Energy (and Air)
By Laura Tam, Sustainable Development Policy DirectorIn the field of climate change policy, you might think the State of California —arguably home of the world’s most robust policies to reduce greenhouse gases — has got everything covered. And, you’re mostly right. But there’s much more we can do. A new report highlights three ways we can significantly clean up our air by making cleaner energy choices.
An Up Market Brings Housing, but Not Jobs, to Downtown San Jose
By Egon Terplan and Laura Tolkoff2014 was the hottest recent year for real estate in downtown San Jose. Hundreds of residential units broke ground in new apartment towers, with several thousand more approved. While high-density housing in the transit-rich downtown is great, the city also needs to keep in mind the long-term availability of land for jobs — specifically sites that can accommodate large office buildings near future BART stations.
Could Mountain View’s Endorsement Jumpstart Silicon Valley BRT?
By Dylan PilaarSilicon Valley’s El Camino Real caters almost exclusively to private automobiles, but a recent decision from the Mountain View City Council may shift the boulevard’s car-first status quo. Last week, city leaders voted 3-2 in support of dedicated lanes for the El Camino Real Bus Rapid Transit project.
Why Do Transit Systems So Often Ignore Design?
By Dylan PilaarGreat design can transform and enhance any user experience. Why, then, is thoughtful design often ignored within our transit systems? SPUR recently held a day of workshops and presentations, sponsored by TransitCenter, to explore the future of design and public transportation.