This measure appeared on the November 2008 San Francisco ballot. What it does Proposition A is a measure that appropriates $887.4 million in general obligation bonds for the building of a new acute care hospital and trauma center at San Francisco General Hospital. Acute care refers to short-term patient care, often done in emergency room settings. A 1994 state law requires seismically unfit acute-care…

This measure appeared on the November 2008 California state ballot. What it does Proposition 11 is an amendment to the California Constitution that establishes a new process to determine district boundaries for the California Legislature and the state Board of Equalization. It would not directly affect the drawing of the boundaries of U.S. congressional districts in California, although it would add two new criteria…

This measure appeared on the November 2008 California state ballot. What it does Proposition 10 would authorize the state to sell $5 billion in general obligation bonds to provide rebates to reduce the consumer cost of purchasing alternative fuel vehicles. The bonds also would provide financial incentives for research, development, design and demonstration of alternative fuel vehicles and renewable energy technologies, and provide grants…

This measure appeared on the November 2008 California state ballot. What it does Proposition 7 would make many changes to the laws and regulations affecting public and private electrical utilities in California. The most significant change proposed by Prop. 7 affects state law regarding California's Renewable Portfolio Standard. The RPS is defined in the state Public Utility Code as the specified percentage of renewable…

This measure appeared on the November 2008 California state ballot. What it does Proposition 1A, the "Safe, Reliable High-Speed Passenger Train Bond Act for the 21st Century," would authorize the California High Speed Rail Authority to issue $9.95 billion in bonds to construct a statewide high-speed train system. It would set aside $950 million of the potential bond proceeds for capital improvements to intercity…

Building a better rail system is critical for the Bay Area. The top priority should be expanding capacity in the urban cores of San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose. SPUR recommends five ways to make this happen.

SPUR believes that San Francisco can be a resilient city whose residents accept a significant earthquake as inevitable and are prepared to respond and sustain themselves and their communities until help arrives. Preparation for such a comprehensive emergency response must engage each individual, each community and the myriad of organizations that make up these communities. The Department of Public Health for the city of San Francisco has obtained a federal grant funding a proposal to create Community Disaster Response Hubs — field-based disaster coordination centers throughout San Francisco. The hubs can provide the infrastructure for community response to major emergencies. By identifying local resources, developing a plan to integrate and coordinate those resources with each other and with the city, and practicing communication through their hubs, communities can develop an effective response. In this report, SPUR encourages the adoption of the proposed Community Disaster Response Hub plan and offers a set of recommendations to strengthen the plan and sustain the program.

Includes SPUR's analysis of 4 state measures and 22 city measures on the November 2008 ballot.

SPUR's major recommendations include increasing the frequency and capacity of transit along the Mission and 16th Street Corridors, supporting a new Caltrain stop at 16th Street, building the bicycle network, retaining the removal of density controls and directing the TA to study expanding BRT to Potrero Avenue.

One of San Francisco's most important water bodies, Islais Creek comprises most of the southeastern sector of the city. Over the last decade, the area has fallen into a state of disrepair. Sara Jensen, SPUR's 2008 Piero N. Patro Fellow, proposes a concept plan for a food center to enliven this area of the city's eastern waterfront.

The Bay Area has been a hotbed of innovation since the 1970s. Today it is also one of the leading places for cleantech firms. What role will San Francisco play in the emergence of this new segment of the economy?

In this paper, we explore the idea of reducing taxes on good things — economic growth and job creation — and replacing them with taxes on bad things, or environmentally harmful activities.

A geographical comparison

We all have our own ways of processing the tourist experience. Some of us bury ourselves in guide books; others crane their necks to get the best photos; still others take notes. The following is an excerpt from Lawrence Li's latest travel diary, an insightful catalogue of his observations while exploring Toronto.

How intergovernmental cooperation restored a public waterfront

Little things matter. In Toronto, where Jane Jacobs constantly reminded planners and developers that their big projects didn’t fit the people who would live and work in them, there remains a celebration of neighborhood scale, charm and quirkiness. Chinatown, Kensington Market and Baldwin Village have much of the distinctive character of San Francisco’s Chinatown, North Beach and Noe Valley.

Seeing a new city from the perspectives of both a tourist and an insider, with a local guide, is an urbanist's dream. However, that local guide might get as much out of it as do the trippers.

San Francisco's need for housing for the homeless, rental housing and affordable housing for purchase far outstrips the available supply. Toronto shares many of the same problems.

Toronto likes to market itself as a center of creativity and innovation, but that is not its only economic role: Toronto is also vital as a gateway for immigrants.

After meeting with Pier Giorgio Di Cicco, Toronto's poet laureate, SPUR President Jim Chappell muses on what city planners can learn from the art of making poetry.