The Future of Work
Shifting employment to transit-served centers
Image courtesy Google Maps
Over the last 30 years, employment has spread from city centers to auto-centric, low-density office parks. How can we shift the location of jobs to places served by transit? And how do we do this in a way that strengthens innovation, leads to job growth and increases the prosperity of our region?
This initiative is generously supported by grants from the Clarence E. Heller Charitable Foundation and Gerbode Foundation.
Lead staff: Egon Terplan, Regional Planning Director, eterplan@spur.org
Featured Publications
Rethinking the Corporate Campus
The next Bay Area workplace
Technology has become the lifeblood of the San Francisco Bay Area economy, but the office environments where this work takes place do not reflect the innovation occurring within. The traditional suburban corporate campus reinforces dependence on cars and pushes sprawl development into open spaces and farmland. How do we create a more efficient, sustainable and high-performing model for the Bay Area workplace?
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The Urban Future of Work
How denser, more urban workplaces will strengthen the Bay Area’s economic competitiveness
As the Bay Area’s economy changes, many firms are finding they need the vibrancy and density of an urban-style environment in order to collaborate, innovate and stay competitive. There is a strong link between density and job growth. In fact, we believe that locating jobs closer to transit — and closer to one another — will be key to the Bay Area’s long-term economic growth.
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Job Sprawl in the Megaregion
How can we slow the decentralization of work in Northern California?
Job decentralization has expanded the boundaries of our megaregion — increasing commute times and greenhouse gas emissions in Northern California. We propose a framework for developing strategies to drive jobs back into centers already served by regional transit.
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The Future of Downtown San Francisco
Bringing work back to the city
To achieve a low-carbon future, Bay Area residents need to be able to commute to work without a car. Our best strategy is to channel more employment into existing centers, particularly transit-rich downtown San Francisco. SPUR proposes a sustainable plan for transit-oriented job growth in the Bay Area.
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The Future of Downtown San Jose
How the South Bay's urban center can achieve its potential
Downtown San Jose is the densest, most walkable, most transit-oriented and most dynamic place in the South Bay. It’s now poised to benefit from the growing trend toward working and living in urban centers. But downtown needs more people. This SPUR report identifies six big ideas for achieving a more successful and active downtown, then lays out the steps for making them happen.
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A Downtown for Everyone
Shaping the future of Downtown Oakland
Downtown Oakland is poised to take on a more important role in the region. But the future is not guaranteed. An economic boom could stall before it gets going. Or the economy could take off in a way that harms Oakland’s character, culture and diversity. We propose five big ideas for how downtown Oakland can grow while providing benefits to all.
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Recent News
Why Central SoMa Needs to Focus on Jobs, Even in a Housing Shortage
News /San Francisco will soon adopt the Central SoMa Plan, the city’s only current major neighborhood plan. In the 230-acre area, the plan changes the zoning to allow 45,000 jobs and 7,500 housing units. Considering the housing shortage, shouldn’t there be more focus on housing in the city’s only active neighborhood plan? Not necessarily. Here are five reasons we think the plan gets the mix right.
The Corporate Campus: A Local History
Urbanist ArticleThe Bay Area’s economic engine has evolved into a spatial pattern that comes with high environmental and social costs. Can we change course?
A New Look at the Corporate Campus
Urbanist ArticleThe way we work is changing dramatically. Maybe it’s time that our workplaces did, too.
A Taste of the Future on North First Street?
Urbanist ArticleSamsung broke ground on a massive new headquarters for its U.S. Research and Development operations in north San Jose. More than any project to date, the new Samsung campus embraces the city’s vision of a denser, more walkable pattern along North First Street, the city’s tech employment heartland.
Lease Deals Point to Positive Signs for Downtown San Jose
News /Two big lease deals in downtown San Jose indicate that the city center’s underappreciated assets may be proving attractive to those seeking more urban workplaces in Silicon Valley. Why did these two tenants choose downtown over other nearby competitors? Four reasons: access to transit, urban amenities, real estate costs and a responsive government.
The Corporate Campus Embraces Urbanization
Urbanist ArticleWhen Google proposed a new vision for retrofitting its Mountain View campus as a dense and walkable urban place, the city embraced the plan — but balked at Google’s request to include housing. Increasingly, we are seeing expressions of the urban future of work through specific proposals by companies interested in retrofitting the suburban corporate campus rather than moving into cities.