SPUR Regional Strategy
The San Francisco Bay Shoreline Adaptation Atlas
SPUR and the San Francisco Estuary Institute developed a science-based framework for using nature to adapt to climate change in the Bay Area. The Bay Conservation and Development Commission, San Mateo County and Marin County are just some of the agencies already using the atlas in their work to address sea level rise.
Fixing Bay Area Transit Fares
SPUR proposed 15 recommendations for how Bay Area transit operators can streamline and integrate their fares to help the region’s 27 agencies function like one system — a key step if transit is going to meet customer needs. Based on SPUR’s recommendation, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission is now developing a business case to study fare integration.
SPUR Regional Strategy
A Deep Dive Into the Housing Shortage
SPUR’s Regional Strategy housing research began with an in-depth initiative to establish how much housing the Bay Area needs to build in order to stop income inequality from getting worse. The project started with analysis to determine how many units the region should have built over the last 20 years and how many it will need to build to make up for the shortfall.
Realizing San José’s Urban Village Vision
San Jose’s 2040 general plan proposed urban villages as a key strategy for sustainable growth, but only a handful of the 60 designated villages are underway. SPUR recommended strategies to remove barriers to sustainable growth and create more housing and jobs near transit.
SPUR Regional Strategy
Researching the Region
SPUR’s policy team traveled throughout the nine-county Bay Area and into the 21-county megaregion to meet with communities and deepen the organization’s understanding of shared challenges such as housing, transportation and climate change. Through research trips, interviews and public workshops, SPUR talked to more than 1,000 people in 24 cities.
Saving Coyote Valley
The San Jose City Council voted to purchase more than 900 acres of undeveloped land in North Coyote Valley and preserve it as public greenspace. SPUR supported the effort and endorsed 2018’s Measure T, which earmarked up to $50 million for preservation in Coyote Valley.
A Bolder Vision for Downtown Oakland
As Oakland got close to finalizing its specific plan for downtown, SPUR continued to make the case for a bolder, more inspiring plan that would position downtown as the urban center of the East Bay and encourage both jobs and housing.
Growing San José’s Skyline
SPUR and other partners advocated to change flight patterns at San José Mineta Airport, which would allow taller buildings downtown and near Diridon Station. The San José City Council unanimously voted to adopt this recommendation.
More Affordable Housing for San Francisco
San Francisco voters passed Proposition A, the largest affordable housing bond in the city’s history, generating $600 million in funding for affordable housing for the coming years. SPUR endorsed the measure, encouraging voters to take action to address the housing affordability crisis.
The Future of Diridon Station
As transit operators plan for the expansion of San José’s central rail station, SPUR has recommended close coordination between the agencies and advocated for a design that puts customer experience first. This year, the agencies completed a momentous step, producing a unified rail alignment and a conceptual station design. Both incorporate a number of SPUR recommendations.
Helping Families Afford Healthy Food
SPUR’s Double Up Food Bucks program helps CalFresh families extend their food budgets when they purchase California-grown produce with their food assistance dollars. This year, the program expanded to a total of six partner grocery stores, including five in Santa Clara County and the first in Alameda County.
Thinking Bigger About Caltrain
Since 2017, SPUR has urged Caltrain to plan for significant service increases and develop a business plan to support this growth. This year, the rail agency adopted a new business plan to achieve a high-growth service strategy.
SPUR Regional Strategy
We Are the Bay
To learn more about the communities of the Bay Area, SPUR sent renowned photographer Ryan Young out to profile residents across the region. The resulting exhibition, We Are the Bay: Portraits of a Region, captured their aspirations, their fears and what matters most to them about the place they call home.
Over 200 Public Programs in Three Cities
SPUR brought thousands of people together for in-depth conversations like How Racism Shaped the Housing Crisis, Economic Inequality and the Future of Work and Imagining More People-First Streets. Programs included collaborations with KQED and CityLab and conversations with leaders from BART, the Oakland A’s, LinkedIn and more.
Rail Station Cities Symposium
SPUR partnered with state agencies to bring together staff members from city governments for a daylong symposium on addressing the disparities between California’s coastal and inland cities. Together the group brainstormed ideas for how to strengthen local economies by creating new jobs and housing near rail stations.
Transit + Design
SPUR’s fifth-annual convening introduced transportation professionals to tools they can use to better understand the needs, wants and expectations of riders. The day of workshops explored how to integrate design thinking into transportation agency practices.
SPUR Regional Strategy
Let’s Be Regionable
To inspire the citizens of the Bay Area to think regionally, SPUR partnered with TBD* at CCA, a student-run design studio at California College of the Arts, on a regionalist marketing campaign. The resulting series of posters inspired Bay Area residents to feel passion not just for the city they live in but for the region we’re all a part of.
President’s Letter
Reckoning and Transformation
In times of change, it can be hard to see the horizon. The depth of disruption we are experiencing now is in many ways unparalleled. In just the past few months, we have seen a global pandemic, widespread economic collapse and an international revolution toward racial justice. As we look for a north star to guide us through this period, many of us are reckoning with the implications of not just how we live but how we think, how we design and operate our systems and institutions, and what needs to change to advance justice.
For SPUR, that north star is the promise of what can come from this type of deep investigation. We believe that through this reckoning, we can collectively create a Bay Area that fully expresses our shared values of equity, sustainability and prosperity. We believe that the Bay Area can become a place where everyone is housed, and where housing is no longer a source of wealth inequity. Where appreciation for nature expands into a commitment to healthy environments for all residents. Where freedom of mobility is truly equal across every neighborhood. And where innovative technologies are nurtured not just for economic growth but for economic equity.
Looking back at 2019 — a year of historic market highs — it has become clear that segregated prosperity was not the solution to the region’s challenges. As we work with the vast social and normative changes we are all experiencing, SPUR’s job will be to help rebuild the region’s systems and structures so that an equitable, sustainable and prosperous Bay Area is not just a vision but a reality.
Founded in 1910 to advocate for healthy housing, SPUR has long worked across the political spectrum to achieve change. Now more than ever, we are committed to partnering to create a more just and inclusive Bay Area. We look forward to working with you in the years to come, and we’re grateful for your continued support.
Sincerely,
Alicia John-Baptiste
President and CEO