Upcoming Events

Every year, SPUR takes an annual study trip to another city to learn how other places address urban challenges. In 2022, SPUR traveled to Copenhagen, the canal-lined capital of Denmark that took big steps to reform its housing, government, transportation and climate goals after a brush with bankruptcy in the 1980s. The trip participants learned all about the Danes’ approaches to social housing, about their embrace of the bicycle, their goals for a zero-carbon future - but what’s changed since July of 2022, and how can the Bay area learn from it? Join us for this special forum to recap what we learned from the Danes, discover what challenges Copenhagen is still grappling with and what lessons we can apply here in the Bay Area.

Join us for a book talk examining the ways that art and architecture activate the public realm. Occupation:Boundary features historical and contemporary images of architecture, landscape and urban design at the border between the city and the sea. At a moment that demands innovative approaches to the transformation of urban waterfronts, and strategies to foster resilient boundaries, architect Cathy Simon recounts her work and that of other designers at and around the water’s edge in service to the public realm.

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.

Medically supportive food and nutrition interventions such as produce prescriptions, food pharmacies and medically tailored meals can improve healthcare outcomes and reduce healthcare costs for people across the state. Starting in 2022, California authorized a pilot program to cover these interventions under Medi-Cal. However, they are currently optional pilot services, meaning millions of individuals who could benefit from food-based interventions are left out. Fortunately, California has the opportunity during this legislative session to expand the benefits of these interventions. Join us for a discussion of what that action would mean, how it would work and who would benefit.

As California’s drought continues to worsen, residents across the state are facing a water affordability crisis. Water rate increases for Californians are expected to accelerate as the climate continues to change and the state’s infrastructure continues to age, further burdening low-income communities. But that outcome isn’t inevitable. Join us for a discussion of ways to curb water rate increases and mitigate the disproportionate impact on low-income customers, including greater water efficiency, better long-term planning and more equitable rate structures.

Transportation leaders throughout the San Francisco Bay Area are looking to invest in other modes of transportation, as well as deliver more efficient transportation design, scope and infrastructure. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission has been diligently working on a study that examines how rail agencies throughout the region can work collaboratively on larger rail projects and operations. Join us as we discuss the findings from this new Regional Rail Study with Metropolitan Transportation Commission staff and other transportation partners throughout the region, and learn what these findings mean for the future of rail transportation in the San Francisco Bay Area.

In the last few years, California has spent more than $1 billion to support regional planning, including $600 million from regional early-action planning grants, $600 million for the Community Economic Resilience Fund, and $25 million for climate adaptation planning. Although the overall investment in “regions-up” planning is unprecedented, it remains insufficient. Given how many key planning issues in California require an approach that integrates housing, job location, climate adaptation, transit recovery, reduced vehicle travel and greenhouse gas emissions and more equitable economic development, some would like to further elevate the authority of regional agencies. Come hear the architects of this idea discuss the state of regional planning in California today and learn what else is needed to fully tackle the interconnected demands facing metropolitan regions.

BART Phase II will extend service to downtown San José with three new stations (plus another one in the City of Santa Clara). One of those stations, the 28th Street/Little Portugal station, will reside in San José’s Little Portugal, a community whose strong Portuguese and Latin American identities have made it a destination for arts, architecture, delicious food and a rich culture. The station will serve many multi-generational businesses and the beautiful Five Wounds Portuguese National Parish by connecting San José to Santa Clara, Richmond and San Francisco/Daly City. Join us to learn about the plans for the station area, including a review of approved transit-oriented communities (TOC) policies, the update to the city's Five Wounds Urban Villages Plan, and VTA's creation of a design development framework to shape future transit-oriented development on VTA properties.

San Francisco is known for its beautiful parks and open space, and their importance to social and physical wellbeing has only been emphasized by the pandemic. However, racist land use and housing laws and practices have led to inequitable access to safe parks and open space. According to a recent study by the Trust for Public Land, San Francisco's communities of color had 56 percent less nearby park space than white neighborhoods. Learn how community organizations in San Francisco are creating out-of-the-box solutions to provide opportunities for people of color, especially families and children, to enjoy parks and open space.

Micromobility tools like bicycles, e-bikes, scooters and other small, wheeled devices offer people more options for traveling shorter distances. A number of cities have explored micromobility as a way to advance climate goals and lower traffic congestion. However, San Francisco has struggled to regulate and embrace micromobility for the public good. . San Francisco is starting a citywide planning process, the Active Communities Plan, to foster adoption of all forms of active mobility that can legally operate on bike lanes, be they human-powered or motor-powered. Join us to identify thought-provoking ideas to leverage micromobility to support the city’s mobility, climate, access and equity goals.

With the passage of the American Rescue Plan Act, Inflation Reduction Act, and other Federal spending bills, the Federal government has given states billions of dollars that can be used to help small businesses. This funding could drive both a more equitable economic recovery and progress towards meaningful economic security for BIPOC communities and ultimately help close the racial wealth gap. Join us to discuss how Federal funding can be used to achieve a truly equitable recovery for BIPOC communities.

How can San Francisco’s transportation system be transformed to equitably and efficiently get people where they want to go — while helping to meet the city’s safety goals, mitigate the affordability and housing crisis, and tackle the climate emergency? The San Francisco Planning Department is working on a new Transportation Element, last adopted in 1996, to modernize the city’s policies to address these issues. The renewal of the Transportation Element is part of the Planning Department’s larger initiative to update the city’s General Plan. Join us to learn more — and share your ideas! — about what will be in the Transportation Element and how the next generation of the General Plan and its elements will be shaped.