The Bay Area economy has rebounded from the recession, but major regional challenges threaten our continued prosperity. In this anlysis, written for the 2013 State of Silicon Valley conference, we make the case that some of the biggest threats to the Bay Area’s long-term economic competitiveness are best addressed through better regional governance.

Not long ago, Patrick Otellini chose to ignore the unavoidable fact that San Francisco is well overdue for a major earthquake. Today, he’s the city’s director of earthquake safety.

Proposition C created a long-term source of funding for affordable housing, while also capping affordable housing fees. It was agreed that the fee cap could be lifted for those portions of area plans that received a significant increase in development potential. SPUR recommends three thresholds as standards for defining "significant."

There is a 63 percent chance that a large earthquake will occur in the Bay Area in the next 30 years. We need to build a culture of preparedness around land use planning now so we can rebuild our cities, and our region, after the next earthquake strikes. This article is excerpted from the SPUR report On Solid Ground.

When a major earthquake strikes the Bay Area, it could take months to reestablish essential services and years to rebuild. Good land use planning will be crucial to a successful recovery. If we make needed regulatory changes now, we will have the tools we need to rebuild our cities, and our region, after the earthquake strikes.

A San Francisco muralist enlivens SPUR’s once-quiet corridors with a colorful celebration of urbanism.

The SPUR Project Review Committee offers recommendations in the areas of land use, public realm interface, building and landscape design and environmental effects. SPUR finds this project to be a well-conceived and even potentially visionary project if concepts being explored are brought to fruition.

The SPUR Project Review Committee finds the proposed project at 101 Polk Street to be an appropriate use of the site. The dense residential development will energize and enhance this transit-rich neighborhood.

The year 2012 saw a record 18.2 million voters registered in California, the debut of online voter registration, new district lines thanks to the Citizens Redistricting Commission and top-two primaries where the two candidates with the most votes in any election for state office ran against each other in the general election, regardless of party affiliation.

Downtown San Francisco is the most sustainable job center in the region due to its walkable compact nature and its position as the hub of the regions transit infrastructure. The Central Corridor is one of the very few areas in the entire city that has the existing and planned transit infrastructure to build on these successes. It is critical that we consider the rezoning of Central Corridor Plan in the context of our long-term need for employment and housing space. It is with these priorities in mind that we provides specific comments on the proposed height alternatives for the Central Corridor.

San Jose has approved Envision 2040, a forward-thinking new general plan that is a model for historically suburban cities looking to transform to an urban future. Envision 2040 represents a major step in San Jose’s ambitious goal of retrofitting its auto-oriented infrastructure and suburban development patterns. At the core of Envision 2040 is its coordination of land use, transportation and greenhouse gas emissions, aligned with the Bay Area’s Sustainable Communities Strategy under California's climate change bill, SB 375.