Upcoming Events

Join us for a discussion with Janiele Maffei, chief mitigation officer at CEA, to discuss how these programs reduce barriers to advancing seismic safety in California.

In this forum we’ll discuss how SB 9, by building on the success of recent ADU laws, can be reformed and implemented so that small-scale housing can be more easily constructed.

Catalyze SV and San José Arts Advocates invite you to enjoy art, networking, a tour, and refreshments at Japantown's Exhibit. Catalyze SV and San José Arts Advocates will host a tour of Japantown's newest housing development Exhibit. Hear about the innovative features that make developer LandForge's Exhibit a vibrant place to live while learning about local art. The development features an art exhibit by Empire 7 Studios, decked parking, and a feng shui fire-&-water skydeck.

Join us for a conversation with representatives from these cities to learn their vision for the future of downtowns, the potential of office-residential conversions, and other strategies to diversify downtown land uses.

COVID relief funds for transit are going to run out as soon as 2024 for some agencies, and without a multiyear commitment of state funds, many Bay Area transit systems might be forced to make severe cuts that would curtail reliable access to daily needs for hundreds of thousands of residents. Join us to speak with experts about how they’re planning to avert fiscal disaster, as well as how to advance programs and policy changes that can help any agency in the state restore and grow ridership.

Since its founding in 2001, City Slicker Farms has been at the forefront of the 21st-century sustainable urban farming and food justice movement, gaining national recognition as a leader in supporting low-income communities of color to grow food in Oakland. Join us for a tour of West Oakland Farm Park, which serves as a center for sustainable agriculture, environmental awareness and action, and health education, to hear about community-based solutions that support food justice and access.

In this forum we'll discuss the formation of the Regional Black Housing Finance Pool to address redevelopment, acquisition, and rehabilitation challenges and to support Black leaders who are serving the housing needs of Black communities.

Sidewalks are an essential part of urban infrastructure, connecting city streets and allowing people to travel between local destinations safely and efficiently. Join us to chat with experts from across the country about their perspectives on what makes a sidewalk accessible and what we can learn about making our streets safe and enjoyable for all.

Join us for a panel discussion exploring the origins of Democracy Dollars and its goal to equitably involve all Oakland residents in the political process.

Join us for the release of Common Ground: Project for the Post-Retail City, Re-Making the Ground Floor with the authors, where we’ll host a conversation about the research, case studies and design proposals explored in the studio, interrogate the future of the ground floor and social infrastructure, and what actionable policies, practices and partnerships could work toward a new common ground.

Sea level rise has increased the urgency of adapting to groundwater rise. Join us for a discussion with representatives from San Rafael, California, and Miami, Florida, which has grappled with high water tables for decades, to discuss strategies for living with groundwater and sea level rise.

California has fields of parking – enough, according to the recent Bay Area Parking Census, to wrap around the earth twice! Many parking spots in private lots and garages are empty at predictable times of the day or week. Can we find a way to make parking spaces shareable for different users? Join us to learn about recent changes and potential new rules, including a new state bill, that would do just that.

The Federal Transit Administration requires any transit agency receiving federal funds to have a document that generally plans for transit services and operations over what is usually a 10-year period. The most recent cycle of reports, this time shortened to a five-year planning term, can serve as an entry point to discuss transit's changing business model for aligning financial resources with customer needs and public priorities. Join us as our panelists highlight shared challenges as well as fundamental differences among individual operators in adapting to a post-COVID world.

Hear Amy Meyer and Mia Monroe relate how enthusiastic public support, smart politics, and a little bit of luck changed our region forever.

The Active Communities Plan, created by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, is meant to jumpstart progress toward making bicycle and other low-carbon trips safe, accessible, and preferable for all. Join us for a deep dive into the data and analysis underlying the Active Communities Plan and its community-driven approach to encouraging mode shift.

What strategies can be adopted to ensure equitable access and create more non-car trips downtown and beyond as San Francisco improves its bike infrastructure network? Join us to hear from bike equity experts and city officials about planning equitable access to the bike network in Downtown San Francisco & surrounding neighborhoods.

In California, more than 40% of new businesses are founded by immigrants (in contrast to just 25% nationally). How can California support these businesses? Join us to learn more about food incubator programs from multiple mission-driven food business incubators from across the country, and how they support women, people of color, and immigrants to bring their food businesses to life.

18 months ago, the Bay Area Transit Transformation Action Plan promised bold action on increasing priority for public transit in our roadways. SPUR will release a policy report detailing specific recommendations to get these projects moving. Come learn about both SPUR’s proposals and forthcoming state and regional efforts to get buses out of traffic.

Since June 2022, Tony Tavares has served as the 34th director of the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), where he manages a nearly $20 billion budget and 22,000 employees who oversee California's highways, bridges, airports and rail. Tavares, a civil engineering graduate, has held a number of positions in California's transportation sector, most recently director of the Caltrans Los Angeles District 7. Now, as Caltrans director, Tavares will advance efforts for safe and sustainable communities across the state. His people-first vision for California's transportation encompasses sustainability, equity, accessibility and safety across all modes of transit. Join us for a conversation with Director Tavares about that vision and his plans for implementing the Climate Action Plan for Transportation Infrastructure (CAPTI), road and congestion pricing, bus priority and express lane conversions, tearing down highways and avoiding the transit fiscal cliff.

This forum will explore how our coalition combatted opposition to and misinformation about the the Tenant or Community Opportunity to Purchase Act, how government and philanthropy can creatively support the act’s implementation, and how the lessons they’ve learned can assist other jurisdictions looking to adopt a similar act.

Transit 2050+, the region’s first Connected Network Plan and a key element of The Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s (MTC) update of Plan Bay Area, marks a significant shift in the Bay Area toward planning for a more seamless transit experience for users. Join us for a brief presentation on Transit 2050+ by MTC and SPUR staff, followed by a workshop exercise. This program is open to all, but a target group of guests, including transit operator staff, is encouraged to attend.

When the U.S. interstate system was constructed, spurred by the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956, many highways were purposefully routed through poor communities and communities of color, which were destroyed, isolated from the rest of the city, or left to deteriorate. Justice and the Interstates examines the toll taken on these communities over the past seven decades, details efforts to restore these often-segregated communities, and makes recommendations for moving forward.

Join us for a one-on-one conversation between SPUR's Transportation Policy Manager Jonathon Kass and Director Kelley to learn more about Kelley’s plans to deliver safe transportation to all Oaklanders.

Join us for a conversation between SPUR's Oakland Director and Councilmember Ramachandran, where we will get to know Oakland's new councilmember and learn about her vision for District 4.

This panel will discuss Partnership for the Bay’s Future’s innovative model of policy change that facilitates community and government collaboration. This model ensures community leaders have a seat at the table and can better understand the inner workings of government, while also providing resources and insight to government officials as they craft policy.