In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, regional transportation agencies have pivoted strategies to keep Bay Area communities moving with the help of about $4B in federal emergency funds. How will the region’s backbone transit agencies navigate the financial shortfall when federal relief funds are drawn down? Join us for a conversation with SFMTA, Caltrain and BART to learn about how they have adapted to the current landscape and hear an update on the financial outlook in the coming year. Join SPUR for a discussion on how we keep the Bay Area moving as we begin to come back together as a city and community. Our panel features leaders transportation leaders from across the Bay Area working to ensure that each transit agency continues to serve all Bay Area residents.

An influx of federal, state and local funding has positioned San Francisco to address homelessness with an unprecedented investment of more than $1.1 billion over the next two years. Mayor London Breed’s Homeless Recovery Plan aims to create 1,500 units of permanent supportive housing by July 2022. One strategy to help meet this goal is to purchase and convert hotels into new permanently supportive housing. Join SPUR for a presentation from Shireen McSpadden , Executive Director of the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, to learn more about financing, permitting, and partnerships in this process. Director McSpadden will provide an overview of San Francisco’s efforts to acquire and rehabilitate sites, address community concerns, and share lessons learned.

Small businesses are vital to the social and economic vibrancy of our communities. Yet, over 45% of San Francisco’s small businesses remain closed, according to a recent city report . Join SPUR for a discussion on how we revitalize San Francisco as we begin to come back together as a city and community. Our panel features leaders working to ensure that small businesses throughout the city have a resilient future.

As we begin to come together again as a society, we must determine how to use this pivotal moment as an opportunity to embrace change going forward. Bay Area leaders across sectors are committed to fundamentally altering the systems that led to such disparate and devastating outcomes over the course of the pandemic. This is both a recognition of systemic racism and its effects, and a recognition that our most fundamental systems – whether housing or economic access – must change if we are going to achieve a fair, healthy and stable society. Join SPUR President and CEO, Alicia John-Baptiste, in discussion with Mayors Breed, Liccardo, and Schaaf to learn how we can collectively work toward a more equitable, sustainable and prosperous Bay Area.

The San Francisco Bay Area has enjoyed decades of prosperity, becoming a symbol of wealth and innovation. But what if the word growth — so often associated with the world of tech — evolved to mean something else entirely? Join SPUR in conversation with leaders from tech and the public sector working towards SPUR’s New Civic Vision that expands the definition of growth to bring new opportunities into existing neighborhoods, creating more prosperous and diverse communities for all.

Small businesses continue to reinvent themselves in response to evolving neighborhoods, the changing retail landscape and economic recessions. In the past year, it has become clear how vital small businesses are to our communities. Black-owned small businesses and businesses of color are especially critical, serving as important cultural and community hubs. Join SPUR for a panel discussion with community leaders from Oakland. The panel will explore these topics and share lessons for the region on how to ensure these small businesses survive the current economic downturn and flourish into the future.

As the Bay Area passes the one-year mark of the pandemic, ways of living and working have changed drastically. These changes affect movement in cities, downtowns and neighborhoods. With less commuting and more walking and biking, cities have evolved to meet the changing needs of residents with slow streets, outdoor dining, and pop-up shops. As we go forward, living and working trends will continue to evolve and so will our urban environment. Join SPUR for a conversation focused on how the City of San José is responding to shifting behaviors and how development might look different in the future.

As the pandemic continues, many are hopeful for the Biden administration’s economic recovery plan. If passed, local governments will receive significant federal aid. In the interim, local governments must balance their budgets while providing assistance to residents and businesses. Join SPUR for a discussion with our region’s budget directors to hear about the Bay Area’s economic recovery efforts and the future of our cities’ budgets.

Over the past few months, newspaper headlines have highlighted the historic drop in Bay Area rents. Meanwhile, the sale prices for home across the Bay Area have reached new highs. What might these trends mean for the Bay Area housing market? Join Cheryl Young, Senior Economist at Zillow, for an in-depth analysis and discussion of real estate and consumer trends in the Bay Area.

In late March, Governor Gavin Newsom announced the formation of the state’s Task Force on Jobs and Business Recovery. The announcement came as cities and regions across California were grappling with the economic fallout of COVID-19. Join Kate Gordon, Director of the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research, for a conversation on the state’s economic development initiatives and the plans to restart California’s economy.