Is it possible to have good planning without good government?

Chicago's diverse economy, its dominance in transportation as a major node for both air and rail traffic, as well as an aggressive practice in retaining business has made Chicago a more stable economy than San Francisco’s.

For the past 100 years, when planners spoke of “the Chicago Plan,” chances are they had in mind the Burnham Plan of 1909. Well, today there is another plan of note: The Chicago Central Area Plan of 2003.

Green Envy Revisited

The Burnham Plan for San Francisco: A Model For Master Planning?

Is Master Planning Possible Today?

Of Buried Creeks and Thwarted Plans

San Francisco, To Scale

The imagined city: Burnham's vision

San Francisco is one of the world's great cities, not just because of its beauty but because of its culture. That culture is threatened directly by the high cost of housing. Unless we do something, we will lose our artists, our progressive politics, our immigrants and our young people. This second edition of our housing strategy updates the policy reports that define SPUR's housing agenda.

Uncertainty and delay are deadly to the efficient production of housing, both affordable and market-rate projects. Uncertainty in the approval process means more risk for developers, investors and lenders. And that translates directly to higher costs to developers for both equity and debt, leading to less housing being built and ultimately higher costs to housing consumers.

In this paper, we analyze the zoning regulations that make it difficult to build new housing in many parts of the city and make recommendations to increase land availability and density.

Parking spaces are expensive to build, especially where land values are high. If we can find a way to build less parking, we will see both reduced housing prices and more efficient use of urban land.

This SPUR report studies underutilized retail sites, and presents the possibility of replacing these sites with mixed-use developments.

Allowing homeowners to add secondary rental units to their property is one of the most promising strategies we have for increasing the supply of housing in San Francisco without significantly change the aesthetic character of our neighborhoods.

Comparing San Francisco to Other U.S. Cities

Analysis and recommendations for the June 2006 ballot

Laguna Honda Hospital is San Francisco’s largest skilled nursing facility. Proposition D is an initiative ordinance that would codify the admissions policies for Laguna Hondain the City’s Planning Code. It would place the following restrictions on admissions: Prohibit admitting people whose primary diagnosis is psychiatric or behavioral Prohibit admitting those who pose a threat to themselves or others Prohibit admitting those who need short-term skilled…

The Transbay Joint Powers Authority (TJPA) is a five-member body with representatives from the Peninsula, East Bay and San Francisco, charged with overseeing planning and development of the new Transbay Terminal in South of Market. Currently, San Francisco holds three seats on the TJPA: a member of the Board of Supervisors; a designee of the mayor; and the director of the Municipal Transportation Agency, which…

Proposition B is an ordinance that would amend the Administrative Code to require property owners to disclose to prospective buyers of residential property consisting of two or more units 1) the legal grounds for the termination of a tenancy and 2) whether any units were occupied by elderly and/or disabled tenants at the time of termination of tenancy. Proposition B was placed on the ballot withthe…