Veteran planners Dean Macris and George Williams explain the contents of the 1985 Downtown Plan, especially its preservation and housing concerns. The authors lay out the historical context of resistence to growth among the citizens of San Francisco, and how it affected the Plan.

This article discusses how one important planning tool -- the Specific Area Plan -- can formally bring all sides to the table to plan for how a neighborhood should evolve over time.

The vilification of the high-rise framed much of the debate on the growth and development of downtown San Francisco, pitting the neighborhood groups against city hall in a series of propositions that would set limits on building heights.

Michael McGill chronicles the changed thinking about growth in San Francisco from a focus on building configuration to a more dynamic approach, incorporating economic growth and general livability.

A thriving city includes affordable housing and open space, which often compete for the same lots. But San Francisco can have both if we increase building heights and support dispersed neighborhood parks.

Along with other civic groups, SPUR played a leading role in preserving the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Community activist Amy Meyer...