Model Places Illustration

Housing

We believe: Housing is a human right and should be affordable to everyone.

Our Goals

• Increase the supply of housing.

• Provide more affordable housing for low- and middle-income residents.

• Protect low-income communities of color from displacement.

 Monte Vista Gardens apartments in San José

SPUR Report

Structured for Success

A key cause of California’s high housing costs is its decentralized and fragmented housing governance system. SPUR makes 11 recommendations to set California and the Bay Area on the path to produce the housing we need.
photo of balconies on an apartment building

Research

Losing Ground

SPUR examines how the Bay Area’s housing market has become shaped by scarcity and wide economic divides — not only among income groups but also among races and ethnicities.
Apartment Building

Research

Housing the Middle

SPUR digs into the housing market’s failure to meet the needs of middle-income households. California can look to innovative programs across the country as models for how to address the state’s housing challenges.
Apartment Construction

Research

Planning by Ballot

SPUR has created the most up-to-date database of local land use ballot measures that impact housing production in California. Over the long term, measures that restrict infill housing can undermine housing affordability and have the potential to exacerbate racial segregation.

Updates and Events


SPUR Supports Housing Trust Fund Legislation

Advocacy Letter
SPUR strongly supports the Affordable Housing Trust Fund and Housing Production Incentive Program. We believe this measure will support the production of housing at all income levels by creating a housing trust fund for affordable housing and incentives to support the production of market rate and below-market rate housing.

Diversity Didn’t Cause the Foreclosure Crisis

Urbanist Article
The “Cities of Carquinez" were hit by a perfect storm of housing boom and subsequent bust, fiscal stress, weak job growth, and more. The new map of regional inequality that these forces have wrought, and the consequent challenges faced by low-income families and communities of color in the region are examined here.

Treasure Island Moves Forward to Planning Commission

News /
Plans for Treasure Island are moving forward to the Planning Commission in March. SPUR is a big supporter of this plan, which will create 8,000 units of housing, 30 percent of which will be affordable, and 450,000 square feet of retail space; rehabilitate historic structures; create 300 acres of open space; and add new ferry service. We especially like the way in which the proposed…

Are Smaller Homes Here to Stay?

News /
[Photo Credit: flickr user Dean Terry] The post-recession trend toward smaller homes in suburban communities has grown over the past few years – and as the economy continues to lag, it’s likely these more modest homes will only rise in popularity. It remains unclear, however, if Americans have really begun to reevaluate the excesses of 6.5 bathrooms and a “celebrity-style media and screening room,”…

New Housing Affordability Index Now Includes Cost of Transportation

News /
While living in the suburbs often appears less expensive than living in the city, this is often not the case when factoring in transportation costs. The Center for Neighborhood Technology just released an expanded version of their housing and transportation index which provides a comprehensive view of neighborhood affordability. Unlike other affordability indices, the Housing and Transportation Affordability Index takes into account transportation costs associated…