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SPUR’s Housing Agenda for San Jose
The Silicon Valley economic miracle has become a housing nightmare. As rents and home prices continue to rise, the region’s economic growth, diversity and climate are threatened. As the largest city in the Bay Area, San Jose has a special responsibility to lead on innovative housing solutions. SPUR lays out 20 concrete steps that San Jose can take to address the chronic housing shortage.
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SPUR 2017 Annual Report
We are proud to share with you SPUR’s latest annual report — a look at the biggest things we got done in the last year. We invite you to learn more about our work and our vision for creating a stronger future for the Bay Area.
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Rethinking the Corporate Campus
The next Bay Area workplace
Technology has become the lifeblood of the San Francisco Bay Area economy, but the office environments where this work takes place do not reflect the innovation occurring within. The traditional suburban corporate campus reinforces dependence on cars and pushes sprawl development into open spaces and farmland. How do we create a more efficient, sustainable and high-performing model for the Bay Area workplace?
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The Caltrain Corridor Vision Plan
How to keep the Bay Area’s innovation economy moving
The Caltrain Corridor, home of the Silicon Valley innovation economy, holds much of the Bay Area’s promise and opportunity, but its transportation system is breaking down. We propose a transformative vision for the corridor, along with recommendations for how to fund and implement it.
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Mission Creek Sea Level Rise Adaptation Study
Waterfront strategies for long-term urban resiliency
Located on San Francisco’s eastern waterfront, Mission Creek is one of the city’s lowest lying areas. That means it's potentially vulnerable to storm surges, flooding and future sea level rise. This study considers different design concepts for how to “hold the line” on sea level rise at Mission Creek and weighs the pros and cons of each.
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Fossil-Free Bay Area
A cleaner future for the region's energy
Fossil fuel use is causing runaway global climate change, but we still have time to reverse course if the world can transition to renewable sources for almost all energy uses. The Bay Area is uniquely positioned to prototype ways to become fossil-free and model them for urban areas around the world. We propose three big ideas for how to end our dependence on fossil fuels.
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Future-Proof Water for Silicon Valley
A landscape analysis of water supply and opportunities for resilience
Silicon Valley’s historically reliable water supply has been essential to its growth. But the last four years of severe drought have revealed the region’s dependence on statewide water availability. Local leaders see sustained conservation and water recycling as the best solution. To assist these efforts, this paper updates the South Bay data in our 2013 report Future-Proof Water and highlights areas for research and partnerships.
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Back in the Black
A fiscal strategy for investing in San Jose's future
San Jose needs more money. Although the “capital of Silicon Valley” has the highest median household income of any major city in the country, years of budget cuts and staffing reductions have left the city in a precarious position. This report, a collaboration between SPUR and Working Partnerships USA, explores how San Jose can bolster its resources and deliver high-quality public services.
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SPUR 2016 Annual Report
We are pleased to share with you SPUR’s latest annual report — a window into our approach to solving urban problems. This year we opened our Oakland office, helped pass an affordable housing bond in San Francisco and championed a more walkable, transit-oriented San Jose. We invite you to learn more about our work and our vision for creating a stronger Bay Area.
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Designing the Bay Area's Second Transbay Rail Crossing
How to ensure reliable transit and a connected region
Since the BART Transbay Tube opened in 1974, the Bay Area has grown from 4.3 million to 7.6 million people, yet we have added no new capacity for crossing the Bay. Our overburdened system threatens the region’s quality of life and its ability to grow. It's time to start planning a second transbay rail crossing. We offer seven recommendations for how to get started now.
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SPUR's Agenda for Change
Our vision for a Bay Area at its best
SPUR’s Agenda for Change represents our vision for the central cities of the Bay Area. It condenses the big ideas behind our work and lays out our plan for making this vision a reality.
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Cracking the Code
Zoning and code reform in San Jose’s urban growth areas
Great urban design is essential to creating sustainable, walkable cities. But oftentimes city codes undermine urban design principles. How might San Jose raise the bar on its urban design? SPUR proposes that the city address the ground rules of design — in the municipal code, largely under the planning and zoning code — in order to have the greatest positive impact on new development.
Read The Report Improving Access To, Through and From the Santana Row / Valley Fair Urban Village Area
San Jose's two major retail, office and residential destinations — Santana Row and Valley Fair — are both planning to expand. SPUR convened a workshop to brainstorm ideas for improving access and circulation for this already-congested area. Instead of increasing automobile capacity, we focused on how to help people use transit, cycling, walking and on-demand vehicles. Our white paper offers 20 ideas for better mobility.
Read The Report Improving Regional Planning in the Bay Area
Recommendations for integrating ABAG and MTC
There is a long history of attempts at better collaboration between the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC). An MTC proposal this summer to establish a merged planning department has again opened up the discussion about the future of regional planning in the Bay Area. SPUR offers thoughts on the proposal and the broader opportunity for improved regional planning.
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A Downtown for Everyone
Shaping the future of downtown Oakland
Downtown Oakland is poised to take on a more important role in the region. But the future is not guaranteed. An economic boom could stall before it gets going. Or the economy could take off in a way that harms Oakland’s character, culture and diversity. We propose five big ideas for how downtown Oakland can grow while providing benefits to all.
Read The Report A Roadmap for St. James Park
A strategy for bringing St. James Park to life through innovative governance and stewardship
Like older downtown parks throughout the country, San Jose’s St. James Park has suffered from disinvestment in recent years. Today downtown San Jose is experiencing new vitality and growth, creating an opportunity to transform St. James Park into the jewel it deserves to be. SPUR recommends steps to create a renewed vision for the park through improved stewardship and governance.
Read The Report Greening Up
Strategies to Advance Green Infrastructure in San Francisco
San Francisco is poised to channel significant new investment to integrated urban watershed planning and green infrastructure through a planning process called the Urban Watershed Assessment. In partnership with the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, SPUR convened an advisory group to ask: What is needed to scale up green infrastructure in San Francisco?
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Seamless Transit
How to make Bay Area public transit function like one rational, easy-to-use system
The Bay Area’s prosperity is threatened by fragmentation in the public transit system: Riders and decision-makers contend with more than two dozen different transit operators. By integrating our many public transit services so they function more like one rational, easy-to-use network, we have the opportunity to increase transit ridership and make better planning decisions for the future of our region.
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SPUR 2015 Annual Report
Ideas and action for a better city
It is our great pleasure to share with you our 2015 annual report, a look at how SPUR works and the approach we bring to solving urban issues. It is a celebration of city life, as well as a look at the serious challenges cities face and the work SPUR has done this year to address them.
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Healthy Food Within Reach
Helping Bay Area residents find, afford and choose healthy food
One in 10 adults in the Bay Area struggle to find three meals a day, while more than half of adults are overweight or obese. To meet our basic needs, improve public health and enhance our quality of life, Bay Area residents must have access to healthy food. SPUR recommends 12 actions that local governments can take to improve food access in Bay Area communities.
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