Balancing Oakland's Budget
Closing the city’s structural deficit to move toward fiscal solvency and economic growth
The Economic Boom Continues
Urbanist Article / The Bay Area has emerged as one of the most significant economic engines on earth. Yet some of our policy failures are limiting the region’s ability to add jobs — and causing terrible problems for its residents. We know that booms and busts are an inevitable part of capitalism, but what do we know about the longer-term fate of the Bay Area innovative economy?
Merge Regional Agencies to Address Common Problems
News / The Bay Area is on the cusp of the biggest change in regional planning in decades. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission and the Association of Bay Area Governments have just begun a study into how they might merge. Our editorial in the San Francisco Chronicle explains why this is the right move for the region.
Updating San Jose’s 2040 Plan: What We Need to Get Right
News / When San Jose adopted its general plan, Envision 2040, it signaled a major pivot toward an urban future. This year will see the first review of the plan since its adoption in 2011. G etting the plan right is key to the city’s future, and this review is a chance to do just that. Here are the big issues we need to address.
SPUR Opens on Broadway: A Home for Urbanism in Oakland
News / For more than 100 years, SPUR has helped develop solutions to the most important issues facing the Bay Area. Now we are expanding our community and our work in Oakland — and we need your help. With our beautiful new space at 1544 Broadway, SPUR will create a community-oriented place where Oakland residents can come together to envision the future of their city.
The Next Big Moves for Transportation on the Bay Area Peninsula
News / Both Caltrain and highways on the Bay Area Peninsula are more crowded than ever. Will we solve the area’s transportation challenges in the future — or will things only get worse? SPUR is working with a group of partners to shape a vision for the Peninsula travel corridor. We believe passenger rail and other transit can be the backbone of the solution.