This Week: Locationing, Urban Ghosts, Humble Weapons for Climate Mitigation

Here are this week’s highlights from the Streetsblog calendar:

• Tuesday today! The Future of Locationing: Where Are We Headed? What is your exact location? Until recently, the margin of error was fairly substantial, but technology now makes it possible to answer with unprecedented precision. In addition to being able to pinpoint you on a map, these innovations are also shaping the next generation of automated transportation and navigation. Panelists at the leading edge of technology and mapping will discuss where we are headed. Tuesday, Jan. 17, today! 12:30 pm, SPUR Urban Center, 654 Mission Street, SF. Free for SPUR members, $10 for non-members.
• Tuesday tonight! Urban Ghosts: The Future Of Artists, Place and Displacement in The American City. Urban Ghosts is part of a suite of programming taking place during Inauguration Week in partnership with the Division of Equity and Inclusion at UC Berkeley. Traditionally, artists have flocked to cities, turning them into engines of creativity. But after Ghost Ship and under a new Trump presidency, what are the prospects for artists and culture in the American city? Is the era of place-making giving way to an era of displacement? How might artists, educational institutions, government institutions, the non-profit sector, and creative companies respond to the new conditions? What are strategies to preserve affordability, diversity, and creativity? Join a panel discussion supported by Berkeley Arts + Design, The Arts Research Center, and The David Brower Center. Tuesday, Jan. 17, 7 pm, tonight! The David Brower Center, 2150 Allston Way, Berkeley.
• Wednesday Humble Secret Weapons for Climate Mitigation. The recent joint study between Siemens and the San Francisco Department of the Environment (SFE), Reaching 80x50: Technology Pathways to a Sustainable Future, argues that the city will have to embrace both the glamorous (solar power and electric vehicles) and the boring--what Vox Magazine recently called “unsexy clean energy technologies” (ex: electric heat pumps)--to reach its sustainability goals. But according to the study, doing so is both technically feasible and economically beneficial. Come learn about how the city is achieving these goals in the fight for climate-change mitigation. Wednesday, Jan. 18, 12:30 pm, SPUR Urban Center, 654 Mission Street, SF. Free for SPUR members, $10 for non-members.
• Thursday Light up the Night is a bike light distribution campaign, done by the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition and Bay Area Bicycle Law. Volunteers install hundreds of white front lights and red back lights on bicycles for people riding in the dark. To make sure that the bicycle lights go to those who need them the most, they keep the distribution locations a secret. SF Bicycle Coalition members must sign up to volunteer. Thursday, Jan. 19, 5:30-7:30 pm. Register to get a location assignment.
• Saturday Rise and Shine Staircase Walk. Join Walk SF leader Aaron Dence to start the New Year off with an inspired sunrise walk to scale some of the many hidden staircases of the Castro while winding your way up towards the summit of Twin Peaks as part of a heart-pumping three-and-a-half-mile route. Along the hike, you will explore secret staircases and little-known neighborhood playgrounds with adult-friendly cement slides, journey through streets and natural trails to pass through local pocket parks, and enjoy incredible views of the city. Saturday, Jan. 21, 6-10 am. Walk begins in the Castro at Philz Coffee (note: they won’t be open at the early start time). Walk will proceed rain or shine, barring high winds or dangerous weather.  RSVP required.
• Saturday Mansell People Path's Ribbon Cutting and Workshop.  Come join Rec and Parks as they cut the ribbon on a project that converts two lanes of vehicle traffic into permanent pedestrian and bicycle-only pathways. This type of project is a first for San Francisco. There will be outdoor activities, face painting, and various department and community outreach tables throughout the day. Be sure to invite your friends, neighbors, kids, and pets. And bring your bike. Come celebrate with Rec & Park, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, Walk San Francisco, the McLaren Park Collaborative and other community groups as well as the San Francisco County Transportation Authority, San Francisco Public Works, and SFMTA, who helped make this project possible. Saturday, Jan. 21, 10-1 pm, McLaren Park, Oxford and Bacon streets, SF.
• Saturday Women's March Oakland. Bike East Bay invites you to ride in solidarity with Women’s March Oakland. The march is open to all people who stand for human rights, civil liberties, and social justice for all. Saturday, Jan.  21, 10:00-4 pm. at Madison Park near Lake Merritt BART. Finish: Frank Ogawa Plaza, Downtown. Bike East Bay will provide bike valet from 9-4pm at Frank Ogawa Plaza next to the parking garage just off Clay Street. Want to help? Sign up to volunteer at bike valet.

Got an event we should know about? Drop us a line.