Balancing Oakland's Budget
Closing the city’s structural deficit to move toward fiscal solvency and economic growth
Leading With Public Space: The Case for Guadalupe River Park
News / We are excited to announce that, through investment made by the Knight Foundation and in partnership with the Guadalupe River Park Conservancy, SPUR will embark on a three-year research and planning project for Guadalupe River Park. Our work will focus on understanding the park’s current challenges, investigating what is possible, raising community understanding and awareness, and inspiring a conversation around the power of place.
Act Locally (and Regionally): A New Leader for Muni
Urbanist Article / Last month, SPUR board member Jeffrey Tumlin stepped into a new role as director of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. The former director of strategy at Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates had a brief stint as interim director of the Oakland Department of Transportation, but this is his first time managing a public agency. SPUR asked him some questions about the opportunities (and challenges) ahead.
To Achieve Seamless Transit, We Must Change What and How We Build
News / The Metropolitan Transportation Commission has made some big improvements to its methodology for assessing transportation proposals and deciding which ones to recommend for funding. What’s more, the improved tool provides a useful diagnostic for how project funding and planning in the Bay Area needs to change. SPUR offers three key observations on what this new perspective means for the next generation of transportation investments.
Driving Change
Policy Brief / The Fair Value Commuting Demonstration project addresses a challenge that has plagued cities for decades: Too many people drive alone to work, creating traffic, wasting time and productivity, and degrading air quality and safety. Four Silicon Valley cities tested a package of strategies and technologies to tackle the issue. SPUR provided independent research to help assess the results and determine next steps.
A Bolder Vision for Downtown Oakland
News / After years of work, the City of Oakland is close to completing a specific plan for downtown Oakland. While the current draft is a great improvement over earlier drafts, SPUR believes that the plan needs to be more visionary and that it should encourage both jobs and housing — and put them in the right places.