Issue 554
to
The Year in Urbanism
What East Oakland Can Teach Us About Displacement
More and more people with the means to purchase a home are turning to the few places left in the Bay Area that are still (relatively) affordable. This includes East Oakland, which experienced the Bay Area's most explosive growth in home prices, resulting in our current phenomenon of displacement without development.
The Rise of the YIMBY Movement
In a region where people largely agree with each other about national issues, our most heated political debates revolve around local land use. The emergence of a Yes In My Back Yard movement has the potential to change long-unchallenged political dynamics.
Bye-Bye to By-Right Housing
Every reform proposal has powerful opponents, and Governor Jerry Brown’s “by-right” housing proposal was no exception. As a result, the policy, which would have automatically approved certain housing developments that comply with local zoning, failed to pass in the legislature.
California Extends the Most Ambitious Climate Change Law in the United States
Governor Jerry Brown and the state legislature extended and strengthened the most ambitious climate change law in the United States. With existing national climate mandates vulnerable under the incoming federal administration, this kind of state-level leadership is more important than ever.
Soda Taxes Reach a Tipping Point
The year 2016 will likely be marked as the tipping point for soda taxes. Voters approved soda taxes everywhere they appeared on the ballot this November. Two local legislatures also passed soda taxes this year. Which cities or states will be next?
Urban Field Notes: Transbay Takes Shape
SPUR’s staff photographer Sergio Ruiz has been documenting the progress of the Transbay Transit Center since just before the original terminal was demolished in 2010. The Center, which includes five levels of transit, retail and public open space meant to accommodate more than 100,000 passengers every weekday, is set to complete its first phase of construction by the end of this year.
Member Profile: David Friedman
Generous to a fault
For earthquake engineer and SPUR Board Chair David Friedman, philanthropy is a birthright.