multifamily housing in downtown Oakland

SPUR's Guide to California Housing Laws

A comprehensive analysis for planners, housing advocates, project sponsors, and community stakeholders

People walking in San Jose's San Pedro Square

The SPUR Annual Report

Learn about our impact

new multifamily housing under construction

Permitting Progress

How charter reform can help San Francisco speed delivery of housing, transit, new businesses, and more

Photo of Muni bus driving down Geary in SF

Taking Muni's Vitals

Data show the agency performs well compared with peers across the country

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 with orange skies from wildfire smoke in September 2020

Shared Risk, Shared Resilience

New governance structures for community wildfire resilience

Building storefronts in downtown San Jose

Getting In on the Ground Floor

Activation strategies for downtown San José

Friendship and Five Other Principles for Designing a New Bay Area Transit Map

News /
The Bay Area has more than two dozen public transit operators, but few people use more than one service — and many don’t use them at all. Getting more people onto buses and trains will mean making it easier for potential riders to understand what services are available. A new partnership is looking at how a user-friendly regional transit map might help bridge the gap.

Inclusionary Housing: A Good Tool but Let’s Wield It Carefully

News /
How much affordable housing should San Francisco require market-rate developers to build? A new study offers recommendations, and city supervisors will soon vote on a permanent requirement. The question they’ll face next is whether to stand by recommendations grounded in technical analysis or yield to political pressures to approve a higher requirement that sounds good but could backfire.

The Caltrain Corridor Vision Plan

SPUR Report /
The Caltrain Corridor, home of the Silicon Valley innovation economy, holds much of the Bay Area’s promise and opportunity, but its transportation system is breaking down. We propose a transformative vision for the corridor, along with recommendations for how to fund and implement it.

What We Will Lose If the Census Stops Gathering Racial Data We Can Map

News /
In January, two new laws were introduced in Congress to limit public information on the racial makeup of communities and the race of those struggling to afford housing. These proposals could impact how the U.S. Census collects data. In effect, they would blot out our ability to measure institutional racism — or track our progress to reverse it.

Double Up Food Bucks: SPUR’s Healthy Food Incentive Grocery Pilot

News /
SPUR's newly launched pilot program Double Up Food Bucks helps low-income families afford more fruits and vegetables and supports California farms. The project allows families participating in the CalFresh program (formerly known as food stamps) to double the value of their benefits when they buy California-grown produce at select grocery stores in Santa Clara County.