photo of estuary at Crissy Field at sunset

Sustainability and Resilience

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.

transect of a bayshore neighborhood with ground water beneath the soil

ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅReport

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.
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illustration of houses plugging into the electricity grid

ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅReport

Closing the Electrification Affordability Gap

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.
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photo of Ocean Beach in San Francisco

Initiative

Ocean Beach Master Plan

San Francisco's Ocean Beach faces significant challenges. ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅled a public process to develop a comprehensive vision to address sea level rise, protect infrastructure, restore coastal ecosystems, and improve public access.
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historic photo of houses damaged in the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake

Initiative

The Resilient City

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.
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Updates and Events

Lakeshore Avenue, Oakland

Timing Is Money: Transitioning Homes to Electric Energy When the Financial Burden Is Lightest

News /
ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅsupported a recent Berkeley ordinance that motivates investments in zero-emissions home retrofits by taking advantage of home sales to require energy upgrades. Berkeley’s time-of-sale approach balances consistent investment with flexible compliance pathways for retrofits. It’s just one approach cities can take to expand their decarbonization toolboxes.
report cover with photo of San Francisco Bay seen from a residential neighborhood

Greenlighting Clean Heat

Policy Brief
California and the Bay Area are using zero-emission appliance rules, building codes, and climate action plans to move the heating appliance market and consumers toward a gas-free future for buildings. But fragmented and outdated permitting systems are posing a barrier to adoption of electric appliances and delaying their health and climate benefits. ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅoffers five recommendations to streamline and standardize permits to improve safety, lower costs, reduce burdens on contractors and consumers, and create a fairer, more efficient system.

ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅand Partners Urge Amendments to AB 306

Advocacy Letter
Assembly Bill 306 intends to improve housing affordability and make it easier for Los Angeles residents to rebuild after the LA fires. However, as written the bill may do the opposite by restricting any changes to building codes over the next six years and killing efforts to improve the building code that would save consumers and builders money. With more careful reforms to state building code, California can meet both its building sustainability and resilience goals and its housing affordability goals.
Photo of Luiz Barata of the Port of San Francisco and SPUR’s Sarah Atkinson presenting an interactive exhibit

From Uncertainty to Opportunity: ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅExhibition Reframes the Climate Change Narrative

News /
SPUR’s exhibition Watermarks: Postcards from the Future invited attendees to approach the challenges of inland and coastal flooding from a perspective of opportunity rather than distress and uncertainty. The exhibition and related events were inspired by three SF Climate Week questions: What if we reframe our relationship with water as one of coexistence rather than control? What if adaptation projects could both revive natural ecosystems and improve public access to the waterfront? What if adaptation needs also create space for community empowerment and equitable action?
Sujata Srivastava

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

News /
Part of SPUR’s role is to articulate clear principles and goals for urban policymaking. As San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie’s administration passes the 100-day mark, ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅoffers 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.
cover of brief with title in white text on red background

The Next 100 Days

Policy Brief
San Francisco’s 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’s 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.
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