people dancing at a public event in San José

The SPUR 2025 Annual Report

Learn about our impact

Illustration of a crane stacking cargo containers that say "sound fiscal policy," "structural change" and "economic growth"

Balancing Oakland's Budget

Closing the city’s structural deficit to move toward fiscal solvency and economic growth

photo of San Francisco City Hall

The Next 100 Days

An urbanist decision-making framework for San Francisco’s new mayor

Mural painted on the headquarters of the Calle 24 Latino Cultural District

Culture as Catalyst

How arts and culture districts can revitalize downtowns

Illustration of houses plugging into electricity

Closing the Electrification Affordability Gap

Planning an equitable transition away from fossil fuel heat in Bay Area buildings

Freedom to Move

SPUR Report /
Santa Clara County grew up around the car. Now traffic is stalling economic growth, social equity and quality of life. How can we get the South Bay, its people and its economy moving in a more sustainable way? SPUR's new report offers seven strategies to expand the range of transportation choices.

The Future of the Berryessa BART Station

Urbanist Article /
With the extension of BART into Silicon Valley, San Jose has a unique chance to shape growth around its first station, at Berryessa. Developing land uses that support BART ridership will be key to the success of Berryessa Station — and the future of the area around it. Substantial planning has already been done, but there are still opportunities for improvement.

San Jose Approves Big Plans for Diridon Station

News /
San Jose’s City Council approved the Diridon Station Area Plan (DSAP) after a five-year process. The DSAP focuses on dense mixed-use growth in a transit-rich infill location, includes needed improvements to the pedestrian and bicycle network and commits to better transportation management planning. However, close oversight will be important moving forward to ensure that Diridon Station becomes the transit-rich hub it was envisioned to be.

SF Poised to Create State's First Urban Agriculture Incentive Zone

News /
San Francisco is once again poised to be a pioneer in urban agriculture policy. In June, Supervisor David Chiu introduced an ordinance that create California's first urban agriculture incentive zone and allow property owners who contract their land into urban agricultural use for at least five years to receive a property tax reduction

Can a New Law Free Cities From Car-Oriented Development?

News /
Why is it taking so long to retrofit our car-oriented cities to make them more walkable and bikeable? In part, it’s because of an antiquated engineering concept called “auto level of service” or LOS. Here’s how LOS came to control our built environment — and what the State of California is doing to release the hold this little-known metric has had on our cities.