Issue 531

Destination: Downtown San Jose

Transforming Downtown San Jose

Six ideas for strengthening the urban center of the South Bay. Excerpted from the SPUR report "The Future of Downtown San Jose."

Downtown San Jose is the only downtown in the South Bay that is ready to grow in a serious way. Here are six big ideas to help make that happen.

Urban Field Notes: New Drawings, Old Buildings

Armed with an iPad, an architect creates vibrant portraits of some of Oakland’s most treasured historic buildings.

This quartet of buildings in Oakland hold deep memories about the city’s history. When we walk its streets, buildings like these “speak” to us through their variations in height, materials, and styles. When we investigate, we find that the narratives of each building — the facts and fictions that attach to it — make a claim for our attention.

Member Profile: Roman Mars

100% Audible radio host muses on toothbrushes, reinforced concrete and a secret kept by Pittsburghians.

The radio host muses on toothbrushes, reinforced concrete and a secret kept by Pittsburghians.