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Economy

We believe: Prosperity is essential to a thriving region and should be planned for, supported, and shared so that all people can participate in and benefit from economic growth.

Our Goals

• Allocate resources to meet the needs of the most disadvantaged groups.

• Strengthen and expand the social safety net.

• Rebuild the middle class.

• Build effective and equitable fiscal policies.

Bay Area Market

SPUR Report

Undue Burden

Sales taxes are a common revenue-raising tool, but they also play a role in reinforcing structural inequality. SPUR explores three options for creating a more equitable tax code.
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Homeless Camp

SPUR Report

Mending the Net

Long before COVID-19, California had the highest poverty rate in the nation. The state is also one of the worst at getting benefits to those who need them. Streamlining the application process would help Californians receive the public support they have a right to.
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Ladders Out of Poverty

SPUR Report

Ladders Out of Poverty

Thousands of Bay Area households struggle to pay their bills each month, a situation worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. The region should look to the promise of unrestricted cash transfer programs, which give people money with no specific requirements on how it is spent.
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Updates and Events

A Bay Area Economic Recovery Plan

News /
With so much interest in how to access the Federal stimulus funds, the Bay Area Economic Institute is organizing the region's agencies and business groups to develop a coherent regional plan for recovery. This document here is the process and timeline for how the region will come up with its strategy, all of which should be completed by June 1. Project concepts are due in…

The Future of Downtown San Francisco

SPUR Report
How can we bring more jobs into the region's most transit-rich employment center? SPUR proposes a sustainable plan for transit-oriented job growth in the Bay Area.

Growing Green

SPUR Report
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?

More Work, Less Waste

Urbanist Article
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.

Dual Identity

Urbanist Article
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.

Framing the Future of Downtown San Francisco

Urbanist Article
Downtown San Francisco is the region’s best chance of getting people to work without a car. But to add more jobs, downtown must overcome limits in zoning and transit capacity.
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