protesters in downtown San Francisco

Economic Justice

We believe: Prosperity is essential to a thriving region and should be planned for,
supported, and shared so that all people can participate in and benefit from economic growth.

Our Goals

• Allocate resources to meet the needs of the most disadvantaged groups.

• Strengthen and expand the social safety net.

• Rebuild the middle class.

• Build effective and equitable fiscal policies.

Homeless Camp

SPUR Report

Mending the Net

Long before COVID-19, California had the highest poverty rate in the nation. The state is also one of the worst at getting benefits to those who need them. Streamlining the application process would help Californians receive the public support they have a right to.
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Bay Area Market

SPUR Report

Undue Burden

Sales taxes are a common revenue-raising tool, but they also play a role in reinforcing structural inequality. SPUR explores three options for creating a more equitable tax code.
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More Harm Than Good

SPUR Report

More Harm Than Good

California’s system of fines and fees is causing significant financial harm to low-income, Black, and Latinx communities in the Bay Area. California should eliminate its reliance on punitive fees and introduce more effective ways to promote behavior that supports safety and the greater social good.
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Ladders Out of Poverty

SPUR Report

Ladders Out of Poverty

Thousands of Bay Area households struggle to pay their bills each month, a situation worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. The region should look to the promise of unrestricted cash transfer programs, which give people money with no specific requirements on how it is spent.
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Economic Prosperity Strategy

SPUR Report

Economic Prosperity Strategy

The Bay Area has one of the strongest economies in the world, but the benefits are not universally shared. Over a third of the workforce earns less than $18 an hour. How can we make sure the region’s rising economic tide lifts all boats?
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Updates and Events

Datablog: Does Unemployment Equal More Crime?

News /
Crime and unemployment: two things cities consistently battle with, but rarely like to talk about. While it may seem like these two issues are linked, with crime rising out of necessity, GOOD's recent infographic shows that a positive correlation may not exist. Working with Part and Parcel, a small design firm in New York, GOOD's Transparency graphic confronts this issue in a very direct manner…

Organizing for Economic Growth

SPUR Report
San Francisco has successfully adjusted to many economic changes in its past, but the city's economic development system is not yet working as well as it needs to. The city faces a major question about how to organize and pay for economic development work. This memorandum explores what the appropriate model should be for carrying out business formation, retention and attraction in San Francisco.

A Gem of the Green Movement, Emerald Cities Published Last Week

News /
In Emerald Cities: Urban Sustainability and Economic Development, Joan Fitzgerald, director of the Law, Policy and Society Program at Northeastern University, showcases how some cities have taken the lead in creating policy that is mutually beneficial to both the environment and economic development. Ms. Fitzgerald spoke on this subject and introduced her book at SPUR, this past November 17th. According to Joan Fitzgerald…

T4A: Create Jobs by Investing in Transportation

News /
Public transportation gets millions of Americans to and from their jobs every day. Transportation for America, a national public-transit and smart-growth advocacy organization, thinks investing in our transportation sector can create jobs as well. In response to the jobs bill now working its way through the Senate, which would largely offer tax cuts to small businesses, T4A has proposed instead that funding be…

A Small-Box Paradise

Urbanist Article
Because almost all of the city's neighborhood retail districts developed along streetcar routes, today they retain the essential physical bones of commercial districts perfect for strolling, shopping and supporting the basic needs of neighborhood residents getting about on foot. This is the local flavor of neighborhood shopping that San Francisco is known for.

Shaping Downtown

Urbanist Article
The success of downtown San Francisco is one part accident and one part good planning.
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