SPUR Planning Policy Area

Planning

We believe: Growth can be good and should be directed to areas
that will support equitable development and sustainability.

Our Goals

• Leverage growth to create great neighborhoods and public spaces.

• Protect and expand open space.

• Concentrate new jobs and housing in downtowns and near major transit hubs.

• Grow up, not out.

Photo of a locally owned bakery storefront in downtown San Francisco

Policy Brief

Small and Mighty

San Francisco’s small businesses face complex regulations, rising costs, and slow economic recovery after the pandemic. SPUR identifies seven interventions to support the city's small business sector.
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Photo of high rise buildings in downtown San Francisco

SPUR Report

From Workspace to Homebase

Converting empty offices into apartments could both reanimate downtown San Francisco and provide housing for more people near transit, jobs, and culture. SPUR explores the suitability of converting office buildings to housing and tests the financial feasibility.
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illustration of a mixed-used downtown with offices, restaurants, childcare, retail, greenspace and transit

Urbanist Article

What If We Get Downtown Right?

SPUR asked community leaders: “What would it look like if cities were to get downtown right?” We invited them to picture a future in which today’s ideas and policy proposals for downtown revitalization are put into place ... and they work.
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photo of a pedestrian bridge and tree cover over the Guadalupe River

Virtual Exhibition

Re-Envisioning the Guadalupe River Park

The Guadalupe River Park is downtown San José’s most important urban green space, but it faces serious challenges. SPUR's virtual exhibition celebrates the promise of the river park and brings together three years of research and conversation about its future.
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Updates and Events

Copenhagen buildings

Finding a Way to Build: Can the Bay Area Learn from Copenhagen’s 1990s Reinvention?

News /
Comparing 2022 Copenhagen to the Bay Area of 2022 is like comparing apples to oranges. Aside from a few one-offs, most projects in Copenhagen would not be easily transferable to the Bay Area at scale due to foundational differences in the way our governments operate, from the national level on down. What would be more transferable would be to apply the lessons learned in the 1990s-era Copenhagen to the Bay Area in 2022.
Sustainable housing on former industrial land along Copenhagen's Nordhavn (North Harbor) harbor front.

The Sustainable City: Learning from Copenhagen’s Plan for Zero Carbon

News /
Copenhagen has set a goal to become the world’s first carbon-neutral city by 2025. On our study trip this summer, we learned that the city’s commitment to sustainability is embedded in its long-range land use plans and goes back to the middle of the 20th century. Copenhagen’s success in realizing these plans comes from a strategic combination of investments and partnerships that have made it possible to create urban neighborhoods with mixed-income housing, transit access, bicycle lanes and green infrastructure. Together, all of these efforts contribute to the goal of a zero-carbon city.

SPUR supports San José's Move San José Plan and Transit First Policy

Advocacy Letter
On August 9th, San José's City Council approved Move San José, a citywide transportation plan that sets forth transportation policies focusing on achieving the City’s safety, equity, and climate goals. The city's Transit First Policy was also approved, ensuring that the city directs efforts toward making transit safer and more useful.

SPUR Comments on the San Francisco Housing Element 2022

Advocacy Letter
SPUR urges the City to develop stronger implementation mechanisms to develop specific policies and implementation strategies for equity priority geographies and cultural districts on a faster timeline, create more incentives for housing in well-resourced areas, and commit to reforming the approvals process.

SPUR Joins 13 Organizations in Calling for the Removal of Parking Minimums in San José

Advocacy Letter
On June 14th, the San José City Council voted unanimously to adopt the staff recommendation to prepare an ordinance that removes mandatory parking minimum requirements citywide, updates the City’s Transportation Demand Management (TDM) requirements and develops a program for ongoing monitoring and compliance for the citywide TDM program. San José has taken a critical step in ensuring that the costs of building parking are based on market demand and not arbitrary required minimums.
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