Sustainability and Resilience
Our goal: Eliminate carbon emissions and make communities resilient to climate change.
SPUR’s Five-Year Priorities:
• Eliminate the use of fossil fuel in buildings.
• Secure sufficient funding and evolve public institutions to prepare the Bay Area for sea level rise and flooding, with a focus on communities of color.
• Ensure that the Bay Area has safe, reliable and sufficient water to accommodate growth and help natural ecosystems thrive.
• Propose strategies to adapt to the impacts of the climate crisis, including wildfire, drought and sea level rise.
SPUR Report
Safety First: Improving Hazard Resilience in the Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area is both a treasured place and a hazardous environment where flooding, wildfires and earthquakes are common today. As a region exposed to multiple hazards, how can we manage for all of them at the same time?
SPUR Report
San Francisco Bay Shoreline Adaptation Atlas
The San Francisco Bay Shoreline Adaptation Atlas, a joint effort by SPUR and the San Francisco Estuary Institute, proposes a science-based framework for using nature to plan for climate adaptation in the Bay Area. It is the first research to come out of the SPUR Regional Strategy, an initiative to plan for the Bay Area of 2070.
SPUR Report
Fossil-Free Bay Area
California has the most ambitious climate policy framework in the world, and the San Francisco Bay Area has the resources, political temperament and innovative spirit to demonstrate how to eliminate fossil fuel use. This means ending our dependence on petroleum and natural gas and powering our buildings and transportation system with renewables like solar and wind. We can prototype ways to become fossil-free, modeling them for cities and urban regions around the world.
Ongoing Initiative
The Resilient City
We know that another major earthquake will strike San Francisco — we just don’t know when. Since 2008, SPUR has led a comprehensive effort to retrofit the buildings and infrastructure that sustain city life. Our Resilient City Initiative recommends steps the city should take before, during and after the next big quake.
SPUR Report
Future-Proof Water
Most of the Bay Area’s water is imported from outside the region. Today these supplies are regularly threatened by drought, earthquakes and other risks — all of which will intensify with future climate change. Meanwhile, our region of 7 million people will add 2 million more by 2040. Do we have the water we need as we grow?
Ongoing Initiative
Ocean Beach Master Plan
Ocean Beach, one of San Francisco’s most treasured landscapes, faces significant challenges. Since 2010, SPUR has led an extensive interagency and public process to develop the Ocean Beach Master Plan, a comprehensive vision to address sea level rise, protect infrastructure, restore coastal ecosystems and improve public access.
Updates and Events
Regional Challenges Need a Regional Approach
News /SPUR’s recently released Regional Strategy outlines a vision for the Bay Area of 2070 as an equitable, sustainable and prosperous region. The strategy provides a roadmap for building that future and centers deep regional cooperation as critical to transformational change. To celebrate the release of the project, four Bay Area civic leaders gathered on May 13 to talk about the role of regionalism in advancing a future where everyone thrives.
Managing Wildfire Risk and New Development
News /California has experienced unprecedented wildfire damage in the last several years as climate change has increased temperatures and dried out land and vegetation. The seven largest wildfires in recorded California history have all taken place in the last four years. As a state, we need to develop tools to help us combat wildfire risk in order to save lives, homes and communities.
SPUR supports San Francisco Public Utility Commission's Affordability and Arrearage Management Pilot
Policy LetterSPUR strongly supports the Customer Affordability and Arrearage Management Plan Pilot Program. During the COVID pandemic, the number of single-family residential accounts behind on water and wastewater bills more than tripled, and the average balance per delinquent account was $1,043.
SPUR Supports Google’s Downtown West's Proposal
Policy LetterSPUR enthusiastically supports Google’s Downtown West's proposal to use distributed energy and recycled water systems (also known as district systems), but we also urge San José to ensure that the district systems are well-integrated with the city’s centralized systems for energy and recycled water.
Keeping the Water On
SPUR ReportDue to COVID-19, Governor Newsom has issued a moratorium on shutting off water service when people can’t pay their bills. But eventually, customers who have fallen behind will face either paying a large lump sum or losing water service. SPUR proposes a combination of solutions that can prevent shutoffs for vulnerable families while preserving the financial health of water agencies.
SPUR Leads Coalition Questioning California Legislative Analyst's Estimate of Rental Debt
Policy LetterThe topic of rent debt in California is an urgent one and we applaud the LAO for tackling this important issue. However, the assumptions in the research report are likely to dramatically underestimate the true amount of rental debt, which could result in policy solutions that fail to meet the needs of the people of California.