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 water heaters and gas furnaces, property owners will need to install zero-pollution, high-efficiency electric heat pump devices in buildings when the existing devices fail. But the current process is complicated and expensive. In this installment of our series on improving the process, we explore state-level action to mandate, incentivize, guide, and resource simplified permitting at the local level.
Bay Area jurisdictions on the shoreline are now required to develop sea level rise adaptation plans as part of a regionally coordinated approach managed by the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission. SPUR participated in an advisory group for the commission’s soon-to-be-adopted Regional Shoreline Adaptation Plan. With the passage of California Proposition 4, local sea level rise planning efforts could soon benefit from bond funding.
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). The RSAP was recently opened for public comment and many local stakeholders submitted comment letters to guide the future of this document. SPUR signed this Joint Statement in partnership with dozens of environmental, climate action, and environmental justice advocates and community-based organizations to ask BCDC to uphold its leadership in this effort by maintaining the integrity of the RSAP, resisting efforts to weaken its Standards, and addressing the remaining gaps described above and detailed at greater length in previous letters during the public comment period.
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.
