Issue 540

SPUR comes to Oakland

SPUR Comes to Oakland

An inside look at the launch of our work in Oakland

After years of planning and preparing, we are pleased to announce the launch of a SPUR office in Oakland. It’s a big step for us and, we hope, a big milestone for the region. Joining our offices in San Francisco and San Jose, our new location will help us influence the evolving shape of the Bay Area through in-depth work at the city level.

Introducing Robert Ogilvie, SPUR’s Oakland Director

Meet the new director who will lead our work in Oakland

Twenty years of local community development work, jumping into the rough and tumble of Oakland politics and a first date with his wife at Oliveto’s restaurant in Rockridge are just a few of the ways Oakland has made an impression on Robert Ogilvie — and vice versa.

Four Plans That Shaped Downtown Oakland’s First 100 Years

To understand Oakland — and particularly the history of its downtown — requires an understanding of what is happening in the broader region.

Oakland’s growth has long been shaped by events and decisions throughout the region so why begin our work with downtown? Because downtown is where the city began.

Urban Field Notes: Old Buildings, New Uses

Adaptive reuse breathes new life in to structures that may have outlived their original purpose, but will never outlive their charm.

Adaptive reuse breathes new life in to structures that may have outlived their original purpose, but will never outlive their charm.