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Extending the City Beautiful

Urbanist Article /
In the 18th and 19th centuries, Washington, D.C. was built as a celebration of democracy and civic pride. Today, planners are extending this legacy to reconnect D.C.'s "monumental core" with the rest of the city.

SPUR and streets on film!

News /
Deputy Director Sarah Karlinsky was featured in a short film this week on the future of San Francisco’s streets. Streetsblog San Francisco posted a video on Monday showcasing the Making a Better Market Street Project. The project envisions Market Street as a grand boulevard similar to La Rambla in Barcelona, the Champs-Élysées in Paris, or the more recently reconfigured public space in New York’s Times…

Sea Level Rise, Way Worse than We Thought (Again)

News /
A paper this week in what is arguably the world's most prestigious scientific journal, Nature, says that the last time the Earth warmed up as much as it will under climate change, sea levels rose about 8 meters. This means that global sea level rise over the coming decades may be about twice as worse as we thought. When we published two articles in the…

SPUR Comments on Proposed Bridge Toll Increase

Advocacy Letter /
SPUR encourages MTA and BATA to consider financing a plan for the Bay Bridge corridor that is multimodal, incremental and addresses long-term capacity constraints. Such an approach is an important step in reducing job sprawl, decreasing automobile dependency and providing greater resiliency for the region.

Coming soon: energy efficiency loan program

News /
SPUR's analysis of the cost-effectiveness of various options for local government to reduce carbon emissions has gotten around. Our evaluation showing that in San Francisco, a low-interest loan program to finance home energy efficiency retrofits would be more cost-effective than new incentives for renewable energy installations, was featured in an EPA presentation for local governments on how to use stimulus funding. The presentation is accessible…

Greening Paris

News /
Fall programming concluded November 18th with bikes, parks and policy in the City of Light. Writer and lecturer Marilyn Clemens illustrated current trends in Parisian roadway and park design, which follow the geometry of the classical era, while also redefining the purpose of public space. The Alliance Française generously sponsored the event. Clemens reported walking as the most popular method of circulation, and the city…

[Literature] in the City

News /
The Young Urbanist [Literature] in the City forum at SPUR on November 10th presented a lively discussion on this topic and other aspects of the history and culture of San Francisco’s literary community. Stephen Elliott of the San Francisco Writer's Grotto and editor of The Rumpus, writer and City Lights editor Elaine Katzenberger, and Filipino American poet and professor Barbara Jane Reyes joined the…

Windfall for All

News /
Study after study has shown that cities prioritize development that lets visitors and residents walk, bicycle, or take public transit to get around, people are healthier and have far less negative impact on the environment. Now, a new study by TransForm entitled Windfall for All demonstrates another benefit to developing livable communities: people who do not use cars to get around spend far less…

Picturing Climate Change: Special Event!

News /
This Wednesday, join the Alaska Conservation Foundation for an evening with National Geographic photographer James Balog. Mr. Balog, an award wininng photographer for over 25 years, will share his groundbreaking work to capture the reality of climate change by photographing the world’s shrinking glaciers. Through time-lapse footage, Mr. Balog will share his efforts to design equipment, underwrite, and produce one of the world’s most…

Planning for the San Francisco Bay, Wayne Gretzky Style

News /
How fast do you have to be to outrun rising tides? According to Will Travis, of the Bay Conservation and Development Commission this is a challenge that the Bay Area faces. Travis informed and entertained a large crowd at a forum at the Urban Center this past Tuesday, covering a wide range of issues including environmental justice, adaption strategies, importance of tidal wetlands, and his…

Emerald Cities: How are Cities Advancing the Shift to a Green Economy?

News /
[Image: Green roof in Toronto from urbanneighbourhood] How can cities best position themselves in the green economy? What is the role of manufacturing in urban areas? How can a city best choose an economic development strategy given its size and unique economic history? How should federal policy support policy innovation among cities? Join us for an evening discussion with nationally-recognized visiting writer and professor…

Urban Field Notes: Seven Art Deco Treasures in Oakland's City Center

Urbanist Article /
Oakland hosts a trove of splendid Art Deco buildings that date from one of the city's economic upturns in the 1920s. Upturns never last, though, and Oakland has been repeatedly hit by harder times. Most recently, and in succession, the 1989 earthquake, the dot-com crash, and our current recession/depression have left many of these architectural treasures in a precarious state.

Strategies for Managing Sea Level Rise

Urbanist Article /
In the last 10 to 15 years, the rate of global sea level rise has increased by about 50 percent. California is likely to see waters rise by 16 inches by 2050 and 55 inches by 2100. What characterizes this global climate threat? And how can we plan to manage it locally?

Sea Level Rise and the Future of the Bay Area

Urbanist Article /
In the last 10 to 15 years, the rate of global sea level rise has increased by about 50 percent. California is likely to see waters rise by 16 inches by 2050 and 55 inches by 2100. What characterizes this global climate threat? And how can we plan to manage it locally?

Proposition E - Advertisements on City Property

Voter Guide /
This measure appeared on the November 2009 San Francisco ballot.What it does Proposition E is an ordinance that would prohibit the installation of any new general advertising signs on City-owned buildings, including bus shelters, after signs approved as of Jan. 1, 2008. The measure would not affect current advertising agreements, but when current advertising agreements expire, new or subsequent contracts would be subject to…

Proposition D - Mid-Market Special Sign District

Voter Guide /
This measure appeared on the November 2009 San Francisco ballot.What it does Proposition D is an initiative ordinance that would permit general advertising signs on both sides of Market Street between Fifth and Seventh streets, and potentially on portions of Turk Street and Golden Gate Avenue. The intent is to use active signs as a means of attracting tourists, shoppers and residents to this…

Proposition C - Candlestick Park Naming Rights

Voter Guide /
This measure appeared on the November 2009 San Francisco ballot. What it does Proposition C is an initiative ordinance that would amend the city ordinance created by Proposition H from the November 2004 ballot which limited commercial names on the Candlestick Park stadium to five corporate names previously approved by the Board of Supervisors. This measure will allow the San Francisco 49ers football team…

Proposition B - Board of Supervisors Aides

Voter Guide /
This measure appeared on the November 2009 San Francisco ballot. What it does Proposition B is an amendment to the San Francisco City Charter that would remove the charter provision that restricts members of the Board of Supervisors to two full-time equivalent staff members. This measure simply would eliminate the Charter language that reads, “Each member of the Board of Supervisors shall have two…

Proposition A - Budget Process

Voter Guide /
This measure appeared on the November 2009 San Francisco ballot.What it does Proposition A is a proposed amendment to the San Francisco City Charter that would establish a new budgeting process. It would make three major changes: Two-Year rolling budget cycle. Beginning in 2010 for some departments and in 2012 for the City as a whole, the measure would require the City to adopt…

XERO Dallas

News /
On October 29, architects David Baker and Amit Price Patel of David Baker + Partners Architects and David Fletcher from Fletcher Studio presented Xero Energy, their winning entry in the Re:Vision Dallas competition. Sponsored by Urban Re:Vision of San Francisco, the competition asked designers to propose a fully sustainable city block. The proposal envisions an array of energy-conservation and -generation methods used in concert…