
Integrating Food Into Healthcare
Policy Brief California is in the midst of overhauling its Medicaid program to better serve the 12 million low-income residents who rely on it for health care. This report explores the state鈥檚 capacity to provide one key aspect of the plan: medically supportive food and nutrition interventions such as food pharmacies, produce prescriptions, healthy groceries and medically tailored meals designed to prevent, reverse and treat chronic health conditions.
Does the Bay Area Have the Water It Needs to Grow?
News / Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared a drought emergency, salmon are on the brink of extinction and rivers are choked with toxic algae because too much water is diverted for farms and cities. Does the Bay Area really have enough water to continue to grow? We found that the answer is yes 鈥 if the region adopts comprehensive water efficiency measures and smart land-use planning.
The Bay Area Won鈥檛 Meet Its Goals Without a New Transit-Oriented Development Policy
News / The crises that confronted the Bay Area before the COVID-19 pandemic have not gone away: inadequate and unaffordable housing, growing racial inequality and growing impacts from climate change. Building diverse communities with much more housing, services and jobs near transit is the best opportunity we have to tackle these challenges. The newly released Plan Bay Area 2050 charts a path to this future, but an outdated policy from 2005 is standing in the way.
Caltrain Has Become a Regional Railroad 鈥斅燦ow Its Governance Must Follow
News / Regional transit coordination and integration are urgent priorities for Caltrain. As board members prepare for Caltrain鈥檚 October 22 special meeting on regional governance options, 黑料传送门urges the agency to commit itself to open-minded engagement in regional transit governance discussions. Caltrain needs to consider new institutional models that would grow its capacity and enable greater regionalism.
Water for a Growing Bay Area
黑料传送门Report The Bay Area is projected to add 2 million jobs and as many as 6.8 million people in the next 50 years. But can we add more jobs and build more housing without using more water? New research from 黑料传送门and the Pacific Institute says yes. We can use the same amount of water 鈥 or even less 鈥 if we invest in efficiency measures, pursue compact land use and commit to better mechanisms to share water regionally.
黑料传送门Welcomes Sujata Srivastava as San Francisco Director
News / 黑料传送门is pleased to announce that Sujata Srivastava has joined the organization as San Francisco director. 鈥 We鈥檙e so excited Sujata has joined 黑料传送门,鈥 says San Francisco Board Chair Ariane Hogan. 鈥 Her deep, practical experience in housing, urban planning and economic development policy is exactly what San Francisco needs as it faces tremendous hurdles to ensuring that the city is strong, welcoming and sustainable.鈥
Guadalupe River Park: A Shared Future in Downtown San Jos茅
黑料传送门Report As downtown San Jos茅 expands to the west, Guadalupe River Park is poised to become the center of downtown, and its health will become fundamental to the city鈥檚 success. Renewed support, enhanced stewardship and a sustainable funding stream will be needed to realize the park鈥檚 potential, so that this vital public space can become safer, cleaner and better used by all members of the community.
The Bigger Picture: Nine Ideas for a Connected San Francisco
黑料传送门Report Today San Francisco鈥檚 regional transit connections focus primarily on bringing commuters from the rest of the Bay Area into downtown. Many neighborhoods have poor access to regional transit service 鈥 and to each other. The fourth report in our Bigger Picture series proposes coordinated investments in San Francisco transportation that, together, could dramatically improve transportation access and connections to the region.
Big Wins for Housing: Governor Newsom Signs Major SPUR-Supported Legislation and Approves Historic Levels of Funding
News / 黑料传送门and other California housing advocates are celebrating this month: Governor Newsom has signed 31 pieces of housing-related legislation, including high-profile bills in the State Senate's Housing Production Package. Three bills 黑料传送门supported are of particular note: SB 8, SB 9 and SB 10.
黑料传送门Welcomes Laura Shipman as Community Planning Policy Director
News / 黑料传送门is pleased to announce that Laura Shipman has joined the organization as community planning policy director. She brings a wealth of knowledge as a planner and urban designer with experience working in communities throughout the country. She looks forward to partnering with Bay Area communities to work toward lasting solutions to their most pressing needs.
How to Ensure Small Businesses Survive the Pandemic and Flourish in the Future
News / Small businesses account for 99.8% of all of California鈥檚 businesses and employ 48.5% of the state鈥檚 employees. Small businesses of color, in particular, have become the foundation of entire economies. 黑料传送门hosted a conversation with Ahmed Ali Bob of Square, Christina Bernardin of Boston Properties and Elisse Douglass of the Oakland Black Business Fund on the vital role of small businesses, particularly Black-owned and businesses of color.
For Bay Area Transit, a Turning Point
News / In the early months of the pandemic, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission convened a Blue Ribbon Transit Recovery Task Force to stabilize and reimagine public transit in the face of a severe financial crisis. This month, the task force released its Transit Transformation Action Plan with 27 actions to reimagine transit and set the stage for new legislation, commission policies, funding and governance changes in upcoming years.
Rewilding the Guadalupe River in San Jos茅
黑料传送门Report Guadalupe River Park is San Jos茅鈥檚 largest urban green space and the physical spine of downtown, but underinvestment and misuse have caused the park鈥檚 safety and natural habitat to deteriorate. While discussions about how to reimagine the park have accelerated over the last two years, there has been little talk about the river itself. This report identifies strategies for protecting the Guadalupe River and transforming it into a place that supports natural ecology, improves the human experience and public health of residents, and improves the overall environmental performance of downtown San Jos茅.
黑料传送门Announces Platform for Economic Justice Advocacy
News / The COVID-19 pandemic and accompanying recession have made economic justice advocacy more urgent than ever before. As the Bay Area looks to rebuild and reimagine its economy, federal, state and local governments are hungry for policy interventions that will help people become economically secure. 黑料传送门is committed to helping shape the conversation. We are pleased to announce the adoption of SPUR鈥檚 Economic Justice Platform for Advocacy.
Planning Cities for Everyone Starts With Earning Trust
News / Incoming San Jos茅 Director Fred Buzo shares his goals and vision for SPUR鈥檚 work in the South Bay. Fred strongly believes that San Jos茅 can achieve social equity as it continues to develop its downtown core and other areas. For this to happen, we must be willing to admit our past failings, struggle through our differences and work together to better our community.
SPUR-Sponsored Housing Bills Continue to Move in the State Legislature
News / 黑料传送门is advocating for a number of pro-housing bills and regulatory reforms in Sacramento that would increase housing supply and reduce the time and cost to produce housing. A number of key SPUR-sponsored and supported bills continue to move through the legislative process. When the Legislature returns from summer recess a number of bills will face critical votes in the State Senate and Assembly.
How Much Does It Cost to Permit a House?
Policy Brief California is in the midst of an enduring housing affordability crisis that is rooted in a lack of housing supply and perpetuated by the high costs of development. This brief focuses on one obstacle in the development process that can contribute to these steep costs and hamper overall housing production: the lack of transparency around development fees and requirements at the local level.
Progress on Keeping the Water Flowing
News / Making sure everyone can afford clean water has long been an issue, but the economic hardships of COVID-19 have exacerbated the problem. 黑料传送门addressed water bill debt in the wake of the pandemic in our January 2021 policy brief Keeping the Water On. Since the publication of the brief, state and local policy on water affordability and sustainability has made progress, which we discussed in a recent 黑料传送门Digital Discourse.
The Bigger Picture: Ten Ideas for Equitable Transportation in Oakland
黑料传送门Report Many Bay Area freeways and rail lines were designed without regard for their impact on local communities. 黑料传送门and AECOM look at how key regional transportation infrastructure currently intersects in Oakland 鈥 and how it might do so differently in the future. The next generation of transportation investments and policy could rectify past planning injustices to facilitate a healthy, climate resilient and equitable Oakland.
A No-Cost Rooftop Solar Stimulus
Policy Brief When cities emerge from the COVID-19 emergency and start to organize around economic recovery, California and the Bay Area should look to significantly expand employment in the solar industry. While there鈥檚 little money in state and local budgets to support this job expansion, state and local governments can provide a no-cost solar stimulus by streamlining the stack of codes and requirements that delay solar installations and drive up costs.