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

SPUR Comments on San José Guadalupe Encampment Strategy and Policy

Advocacy Letter
SPUR submitted this letter in response to the San José city staff’s report and update on the status of the city’s Encampment Management and Safe Relocation Strategy ahead of a Federal Aviation Administration deadline to comply with regulations to clear out encampments in Guadalupe Gardens.

SPUR Supports Car-Free JFK Drive

Advocacy Letter
SPUR has sent a letter to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors urging them to make JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park permanently car-free.
Computer generated overhead rendering of Battery Bluff. Includes blue, cloudy skies, greenery surrounding the park and streets, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the Bay.

How We Got a Parkway for the People

News /
This spring, SPUR and San Francisco celebrate the culmination of an extraordinary public project that started 31 years ago: the Presidio Parkway. What began as a safety project to replace a dangerous elevated highway became a community-led process to heal a landscape torn apart by freeway building. SPUR played a critical role in bringing people together to complete this once-in-a-generation project.
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