SPUR’s recently released Regional Strategy outlines a vision for the Bay Area of 2070 as an equitable, sustainable and prosperous region. The strategy provides a roadmap for building that future and centers deep regional cooperation as critical to transformational change. To celebrate the release of the project, four Bay Area civic leaders gathered on May 13 to talk about the role of regionalism in advancing a future where everyone thrives.

Large venues like convention centers, stadiums and sports arenas play an important role in the social and economic life of cities. As public spaces, they bring people together to be inspired, celebrate victory (or commiserate loss) and share passions. At the same time, they are critical economic drivers, contributing to a city’s tax base and bolstering the sales of nearby businesses. However, over the last decade there's been a shift in thinking about how these centers can be better integrated into their communities as mixed-use destinations that focus on placemaking and people.

Automated speed safety systems are in place in more than 150 communities around the United States. Such systems offer the potential to reduce traffic violence and establish a more equitable framework of traffic enforcement. But those outcomes are not guaranteed. Achieving them requires thoughtful planning and design, an opportunity that California now has as legislators consider Assembly Bill 550, which would authorize a 5-year speed safety camera pilot program in six California cities.