Preparing for the “Big One” Amid a Housing Crisis The Bay Area is already facing a housing crisis: Housing is unaffordable for low- and middle-income residents, development is not keeping up with demand, and in 2022 more than 30,000 people were unhoused. If a major earthquake were to hit the region, thousands of housing units could be lost, deepening the crisis. A recent event hosted by SPUR, the Structural Engineers Association of Northern California, and the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute highlighted the region’s earthquake-related displacement risks and opportunities to reduce th ..read more

The 2024 SPUR Annual Report celebrates the work we moved forward this year. Thanks to our research and advocacy, housing is becoming easier to permit and build, residents are phasing out their use of fossil fuels, and the vision to convert offices into homes is moving closer to reality ..read more

Welcome 2024–25 SPUR Board Directors and City Advisory Board Members This month, 12 years after SPUR's regional expansion, the organization ushered in a new board governance structure. Our smaller, 30-member Board of Directors will provide fiduciary and strategic leadership to the organization in partnership with our three City Advisory Boards, which will support SPUR’s local research and advocacy efforts. These new appointees bring extensive knowledge in planning, housing, transportation, good government, economics, and sustainability and resilience ..read more

An Affordable Transition to Zero-Pollution, Climate-Friendly Homes in the Bay Area A first-in-the-nation air quality standard for home heating equipment will dramatically improve the Bay Area's air quality, save lives, and help the state meet its climate goals. What will ensure that everyone can afford healthy, efficient, and carbon-free heat pumps? SPUR lays out how to use funding, financing, and market development to ensure heat pumps are affordable through 2027 and beyond ..read more

A Regional Ballot Measure Could Sustain and Transform Bay Area Transit — But There Are Many Details to Get Right The California State Legislature will soon consider legislation that would enable the Metropolitan Transportation Commission to put a regional transportation measure on a future ballot, potentially authorizing significant new funding for transit and other mobility investments. SPUR has not yet taken a formal position on a prospective measure, but we are weighing in now to ensure that any legislation that moves forward is grounded in good policy and positions the region for success a ..read more

Q&A With Incoming State Housing Secretary Tomiquia Moss This week, former SPUR board chair Tomiquia Moss begin her new job as secretary of California’s Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency (BCSH). SPUR is thrilled to support Tomiquia in her new role. We recently spoke with her about what she’s looking forward to as BCSH secretary ..read more

As a companion to our brief The 15-Minute Neighborhood , SPUR collaborated with SOM to develop a case study of San José’s Alum Rock neighborhood, exploring its potential to become a “20-minute neighborhood,” where residents can access many essential services and amenities just a short walk or bike ride from home. The case study draws upon work by San José State University’s urban planning studio and was supported by recommendations from local leaders and community-based organizations ..read more

Solutions to California’s Housing Crisis Start with the State: Q&A with Sarah Karlinsky In a new report, SPUR Research Director Sarah Karlinsky describes the alphabet soup of state agencies that influence housing development — with little to no coordination of efforts to address the state’s housing crisis. We spoke with Sarah about the report’s central insight: although zoning and planning are local actions, the only way to build the millions of housing units California desperately needs is through state-level reform ..read more

For the March 2024 election, SPUR analyzed local and state measures related to our policy areas on the California and San Francisco ballots. Our analysis includes the background behind the measures, equity impacts, pros and cons, and a recommendation on how to vote. (Note: There were no regional or San José measures related to SPUR policy areas on this ballot. SPUR did not analyze Oakland Measure D because it qualified for the ballot after SPUR completed its analysis process ..read more

Without Decisive Action, San Francisco’s Commercial Office Market Has a Looong Road to Recovery Before the COVID-19 pandemic, San Francisco had the strongest of the country’s 14 largest office markets. Now it has the weakest. And SPUR projections show that it could take decades for the city’s office market to recover. The solution? Repurpose functionally obsolete class B and C office buildings to diversify downtown and accelerate the recovery ..read more