transect diagram of a shoreline community with groundwater underneath the soil

Look Out Below

Reducing the risk of groundwater rise in Bay shore cities

Illustration of houses plugging into electricity

Closing the Electrification Affordability Gap

Planning an equitable transition away from fossil fuel heat in Bay Area buildings

illustration of yellow houses on a dark blue background

Structured for Success

Reforming housing governance in California and the Bay Area

people sitting in a parklet with a colorful mural outside a cafe

The 15-Minute Neighborhood

A framework for equitable growth and complete communities in San José and beyond

sf cityscape

Office-to-Residential Conversion in Downtown SF

Can converting office space to housing help revitalize downtown?

illustration of a vibrant neighborhood with cyclists, pedestrians, bike lanes, benches, trees

The 2024 SPUR Annual Report

Celebrating our big wins of the past year

Op-Ed: Health Care Plans Must Embrace Food- and Nutrition-Based Medical Interventions

News /
From the SF Examiner: At the end of 2021, California received permission to pilot new approaches to providing healthcare for those who rely on Medi-Cal. The onus is now on local health plans to implement pilot strategies. One option they should consider is medically supportive food and nutrition. Recent SPUR research makes a strong case for these interventions, which include produce prescriptions, food pharmacies, healthy groceries and medically tailored meals.

Op-Ed: California Is 60 Years Behind on Its Climate Goals. We Can’t Catch Up Without Green Buildings.

News /
From the SF Chronicle : At the rate carbon emission reduction is currently going, California will be 60 years late in meeting its 2050 climate goals — too late to prevent extreme climate change. Governor Newsom and the state legislature have taken bold moves to phase out fossil fuels from transportation, but we need a similarly ambitious commitment on decarbonizing buildings.

SPUR 2021 Impact Report

Impact Report /
SPUR's 2021 Impact Report highlights our key accomplishments over the past year, from passing state housing legislation to proposing policies that can help the region adapt to climate change and lift people out of poverty. We published more than 60 policy reports, briefs and letters and hosted over 11,000 guests at public events.

How Reviving a Forgotten California Law Can Make Commuting More Sustainable

News /
Free employee parking is a valuable job perk, but there’s one serious downside: It encourages commuting by car and hinders efforts to promote sustainable alternatives. One tool for countering this effect is parking cash out: offering the cash equivalent of a parking space to employees who don't drive to work. California passed a parking cash out law in 1992, but 30 years in, Santa Monica is still the only place in the state that requires employers to comply. Here's how the state can revitalize this underused tool to reach its long-term climate goals.

Temporary to Transformative

SPUR Report
During the COVID-19 pandemic, cities across the country piloted shared public spaces and slow streets. In a matter of weeks, these temporary changes transformed city streets in ways that would otherwise have taken years. The crisis injected the planning process with a sense of urgency and a willingness to experiment. How can San Francisco and other cities make these changes permanent? SPUR's new report captures lessons learned and offers 18 recommendations for how to build on what's been started.