We believe: The region should be environmentally just, carbon-neutral,
and resilient to climate change and earthquakes.
Our Goals
• Decarbonize buildings.
• Make the region resilient to sea level rise and other climate-driven natural disasters.
• Improve communities’ resilience to earthquakes.
SPUR Report
Look Out Below
Bay Area cities planning for sea level rise need to address another emerging hazard: groundwater rise. Our case study on East Palo Alto offers recommendations applicable to other vulnerable communities along the San Francisco Bay shore.
New Bay Area regulations are ushering in a transition from polluting gas furnaces and water heaters to zero-emissions electric heat pumps. SPUR’s action plan shows how to make this transition affordable for low-income households.
San Francisco's Ocean Beach faces significant challenges. SPUR led a public process to develop a comprehensive vision to address sea level rise, protect infrastructure, restore coastal ecosystems, and improve public access.
We know that another major earthquake will strike San Francisco — we just don’t know when. SPUR's Resilient City Initiative recommends steps the city should take before, during, and after the next big quake.
As the Bay Area phases out sales of gas furnaces and water heaters, more and more property owners will need to install zero-pollution, high-efficiency electric heat pumps in homes. But the current process is complicated and expensive. City planners must quickly make that installation easier and more affordable. In a previous article, SPUR recommended zoning code strategies. In this installment, we explore permitting and inspection improvements.
In 2023, California adopted SB 272 which requires Bay Area jurisdictions on the shoreline to develop sea level rise adaptation plans as part of a regionally coordinated approach managed by the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC). To launch this effort, BCDC spent the passed year working with regional stakeholders to develop the Regional Shoreline Adaptation Plan (RSAP). This framework seeks to guide local planning while establishing regional priorities to ensure collaborative shoreline resilience planning. SPUR has long advocated for regional planning in the face of sea level rise, and has worked in partnership with regional agencies like BCDC to advance regional priorities. As an RSAP advisory group member, SPUR contributed to the development of the RSAP by advocating for things like clearer metrics on outcomes, improved data on groundwater rise and combined flood risks, and the inclusion of impacts of flooding on shoreline contaminated sites in environmental justice communities. SPUR's public comment letter, submitted on October 18, 2024, outlines recommendations for improving both the RSAP document and the technical assistance program that BCDC is developing to support jurisdictions with planning, funding access, project prioritization, etc.
35 years ago this week, the Loma Prieta earthquake was a wakeup call the Bay Area heeded. In the years since the magnitude 6.9 quake hit, state, regional, and municipal action has improved the seismic safety of the region’s buildings and other infrastructure. However, gaps remain in the region’s preparedness for the estimated 51% chance of a magnitude 7.0 earthquake in the next 30 years.
Moving California’s homes and other buildings off of health- and climate-harming gas heating will require a transition to electric heat pumps. This year, the state pressed some legislative and regulatory levers to speed that process. SPUR recommendations and advocacy helped shape these building decarbonization wins.
California is already paying the cost of climate change impacts from devastating wildfires, droughts, floods, and other extreme weather events. By investing in climate action now, voters can reduce future costs both economic and social. California Prop. 4 would put $10 billion toward safe drinking water, drought resilience, ecosystem restoration, resilience to natural hazards, and more.
SPUR signed on to a coalition letter opposing the elimination of the CalSHAPE, or the California Schools Healthy Air, Plumbing, and Efficiency Program, which funds HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) improvements in schools. These investments will be necessary to support new indoor heat standard and the ever-worsening hazard of wildfire-affected air.
