黑料传送门Planning Policy Area

Planning

We believe: Growth can be good and should be directed to areas
that will support equitable development and sustainability.

Our Goals

鈥 Leverage growth to create great neighborhoods and public spaces.

鈥 Protect and expand open space.

鈥 Concentrate new jobs and housing in downtowns and near major transit hubs.

鈥 Grow up, not out.

Photo of a locally owned bakery storefront in downtown San Francisco

Policy Brief

Small and Mighty

San Francisco鈥檚 small businesses face complex regulations, rising costs, and slow economic recovery after the pandemic. 黑料传送门identifies seven interventions to support the city's small business sector.
Photo of high rise buildings in downtown San Francisco

黑料传送门Report

From Workspace to Homebase

Converting empty offices into apartments could both reanimate downtown San Francisco and provide housing for more people near transit, jobs, and culture. 黑料传送门explores the suitability of converting office buildings to housing and tests the financial feasibility.
illustration of a mixed-used downtown with offices, restaurants, childcare, retail, greenspace and transit

Urbanist Article

What If We Get Downtown Right?

黑料传送门asked community leaders: 鈥淲hat would it look like if cities were to get downtown right?鈥 We invited them to picture a future in which today鈥檚 ideas and policy proposals for downtown revitalization are put into place ... and they work.
photo of a pedestrian bridge and tree cover over the Guadalupe River

Virtual Exhibition

Re-Envisioning the Guadalupe River Park

The Guadalupe River Park is downtown San Jos茅鈥檚 most important urban green space, but it faces serious challenges. SPUR's virtual exhibition celebrates the promise of the river park and brings together three years of research and conversation about its future.

Updates and Events


How SF鈥檚 New Mayor Should Spend His Next 100 Days: Q&A With Sujata Srivastava

News /
Part of SPUR鈥檚 role is to articulate clear principles and goals for urban policymaking. As San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie鈥檚 administration passes the 100-day mark, 黑料传送门offers a decision-making framework to help the new mayor and his administration set priorities and maintain momentum in the face of complex and evolving challenges.

The Next 100 Days

Policy Brief
San Francisco鈥檚 new mayor has made significant strides in his first 100 days in office. To maintain the momentum for change, the Lurie administration will need to set priorities in a time of many competing needs. SPUR鈥檚 new brief offers a framework for developing policies to streamline government operations, revitalize downtown, create more housing, support transit, prepare for climate hazards and earthquakes, and reduce fossil fuel use.

How Arts and Cultural Strategies Can Revitalize Downtowns: Q&A with Erika McLitus and Sujata Srivastava

News /
Bay Area downtowns have faced significant social and economic challenges since the COVID-19 pandemic. In a new brief, SPUR鈥檚 Erika McLitus and Sujata Srivastava explore how cultural districts can play a transformative role in breathing new life into these urban landscapes. We asked them about the potential of cultural districts to both enhance the vibrancy of downtown areas and promote equity and belonging, ultimately paving the way for a more resilient urban future.

Culture As Catalyst

Policy Brief
Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jos茅 are exploring how cultural districts can mitigate the economic and social impacts of office vacancies and reduced foot traffic in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Successful examples from Boston, Cleveland, Denver, and Philadelphia show how place-based cultural strategies can reactivate struggling neighborhoods to support businesses, create jobs, and make communities more resilient.

Rethinking Revenue: Business Tax Reform in San Francisco in the Era of Remote Work

News /
The rise of remote work and other economic changes have exposed vulnerabilities in San Francisco鈥檚 business tax structure. The city鈥檚 controller and treasurer have studied potential tax reform recommendations for a possible November 2024 ballot measure. Their proposal aims to increase the city鈥檚 economic resilience, create more transparency for taxpayers, and help struggling small businesses.

Developing the Next Steps to Revitalize Downtown San Jos茅

News /
Ten years ago, 黑料传送门offered six big ideas to make downtown San Jos茅 a more welcoming, vibrant, and pedestrian-friendly space and to strengthen the city鈥檚 presence on the regional stage. Those ideas have currency today, as post-pandemic shifts affect foot traffic and activity downtown. This spring, 黑料传送门convened a workshop focused on implementation priorities for the urban core鈥檚 revitalization and surfaced questions for future policy research.