Day: July 8, 2009

The Board of Supervisors Budget and Finance Committee showed unanimous support today for a pair of proposals that will both have major impacts on people walking, biking, using transit and driving in the city.

The San Francisco Airport (SFO) Commission asked BART today to waive the new SFO surcharge for workers at the airport, whom they assert cannot afford to ride BART to work now. The new surcharge increased from $1.50 to $4.00 on July 1st with the 6 percent overall fare increase approved by BART's Board of Directors.

"Labor strife and class conflict characterized much of San Francisco's early history. But the post-war period saw the emergence of pro-growth coalitions of business, government and labor. William Issel, professor of history emeritus at San Francisco State University, discusses the emergence of growth liberalism in San Francisco."

"From the creation of the Federal Housing Administration in 1934 through the HOPE VI program of the last decade, federal housing legislation has had a tremendous impact on cities and regions. Doug Shoemaker of San Francisco's Mayor's Office of Housing, Dianne Spaulding of the Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California, John Stewart of John Stewart Company, and Victor Rubin from PolicyLink explore the role the federal government has played in housing over the past century."

"Modernism was defined by a faith in the transformative capacity of expertise. Organizations like CIAM and Telesis produced manifestos and visionary schemes for urban transformation. Peter Allen, urban historian and UC Berkeley doctoral candidate, will explore this crucial characteristic of the modernist vision: an optimistic belief in humanity's power to shape the future.

"Modernist planners and architects sought to address substandard housing conditions and provide light, air and green space through urban planning and design. Yet in creating the "City of Tomorrow," they destroyed many of the places they tried to save. What can we learn from the Moderns' vision – and its pitfalls – today? Join panelists Dan Solomon, architect with Solomon E.T.C., a WRT Company; Anthea Hartig of the National Trust for Historic Preservation; Fred Blackwell, director of the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency; and exhibition curator Benjamin Grant."

"We've adopted the SF Bike Plan and approved dozens of near-term improvement projects for the Bike Network, hooray! But what's in the rest of the Bike Plan? Bikes on Muni? Colored pavement for bike lanes? Physically separated bikeways? Bike boulevards? All this and many more actions and initiatives for better biking in San Francisco are in the Plan. Join us for this conversation with SFBC and City staff to learn what else is in the Bike Plan and how we can make it real."

"Join the SFBC in car-free Golden Gate Park for a group effort to get our kids riding without training wheels. Bring bike, helmet and a snack to share. We'll take care of the rest. Heavy rain cancels."

"Join the SFBC and fellow hungry cyclists for a moderately-challenging, scenic summer ride to a tailgate cookout (destination TBD). No fee to participate — except for your delicious pot-luck contribution! If you want to "cook out," bring a camp stove and a tasty dish to grill, glaze, boil, or braise. Otherwise, bring a side dish to share. Don’t forget plates and utensils! And an extra layer (or two), this is SF after all."