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Throughout history, civic involvement has been the foundation of a thriving, vibrant city. SPUR's expanded work in the Urban Center will focus on educational programs in good government, public policy, urban planning, and design with the ultimate goal of engaging as many citizens as possible in SPUR's work and in the issues that affect the entire region. With a population as large as the Bay Area's spanning nine counties, dissemination of accurate information is key to implementing positive changes. Offering educational programs to community members is one way in which SPUR will work to inform and engage the public.
Public Education
SPUR will provide educational programs to community members that will demystify urban planning and public policy, and make them relevant to the everyday lives of each individual. SPUR will host workshops and classes for students of all ages, from high school students to seniors. SPUR will also offer accredited and continuing education classes for planners, architects and the community at large, that focus on holistic planning.
Community Outreach
SPUR will actively promote civic engagement by offering space to neighborhood groups, city officials, developers, and active citizens for discussion, collaboration, and coalition building. Lectures, forums, films, and panel discussions facilitated by neighborhood and community leaders will work to cultivate stewardship and pride in each citizen. All activities in the Urban Center will be open to all citizens; however, additional outreach will be made to historically underserved populations, so that SPUR can build bridges between communities and encourage more involvement in the democratic process.
Urban Affairs Library
The Urban Center will allow for expansion of, and full free public access to, SPUR's Urban Affairs Library . All citizens with a question about, concern for, or interest in public life will now have a single resource for learning about urban issues and programs relevant to the San Francisco and the Bay Area. The library will be used by SPUR staff, volunteers and citizen activists to help in the deliberation of urban issues; by media representatives; by students who may need research materials for academic papers and projects; and by professionals such as planners, and architects who will utilize technical and specialized materials for their projects. The Urban Affairs Library will become part of an international network of libraries from similar research and educational institutions, greatly increasing the SPUR collection and making information-sharing simple.
SPUR Committees and Start-up Non Profit Incubator
The core of SPUR’s work is driven by volunteer-run committees. By opening the Urban Center, SPUR will be able to attract more interested citizens to the committees that produce the innovative solutions the Bay Area demands. Additionally, SPUR committees are well-known for incubating start-up nonprofit groups such as City CarShare and the Green Schoolyards Alliance. With expanded committees, citizens can rely on the continual creation of specialized organizations that enhance the livability of the region. |
Permanent Exhibitions
Exhibits on permanent display in the Urban Center will work to inform and inspire planning professionals, government officials, and the general public. Dynamic exhibitions in the Main Gallery will include architectural models, photos, archival documents, and video, exciting visitors with the breadth of historic information. The SPUR Urban Center's grand opening exhibit will trace the history of planning and urban design in San Francisco and the Bay Area, telling the little-known story of San Francisco's evolution with a focus on how to identify opportunities to solve problems for future generations.
Traveling Exhibitions
The new SPUR Center will have the capacity to house numerous rotating exhibitions. As part of a larger network of like institutions, the Urban Center will lend and borrow exhibitions ranging in topics such as Women in Planning, Ecological Design, and Alleys as Public Space , to design competitions such as those held for Harvey Milk Plaza and Union Square , to traveling exhibits from other museums such as Building Waterfronts Around the World . These masterful exhibits will describe the full range of city planning functions and will work to attract and inspire interested citizens to become involved in future planning discussions.
Current Projects and Works-in-Progress
Works-in-progress and models and plans of current projects will be on display in the secondary public galleries. Interested individuals will be able to view comprehensive plans, get complete project histories, and join in discussion and debate. Displaying projects from around the Bay Area will keep citizens informed of changes being made to the built environment, and how they will affect everyday living.
Headquarters Office Space for SPUR
Owning its own building gives SPUR permanence and cachet as San Francisco's premiere nonpartisan public policy organization. The new SPUR Urban Center will provide flexible space for its staff of 15, the Board of Directors, and SPUR's active 20-plus committees. Anyone who has visited SPUR at 312 Sutter Street knows how important flexible administrative space is to accomplishing SPUR's work. With an entire floor dedicated to the SPUR offices in proximity to an expanded library of research materials, SPUR will have the capacity to continue its historic role as the region's key consensus-building and urban problem-solving organization.
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