This Week: Seeing the Better City, Golden Wheel Winners, SFBC Service Station

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

• Tuesday Seeing the Better City. Despite the use of big data and computer modeling, personal observations are still a critical tool for understanding what makes places successful. Without it, any analysis may overlook the key local contexts that make our cities unique. Join SPUR to learn from Seeing the Better City, a new book that focuses on how noticing the sights, sounds, and experiences of a place can help create the policies and plans that will shape better urban environments. Co-presented by Island Press. Tuesday, June 6, 6 p.m., SPUR Urban Center, 654 Mission Street, S.F.
• Tuesday Golden Wheel Awardees Tell Their Stories. Mingle with and hear awardees describe their triumphs and challenges of bringing biking to more people in San Francisco. The Golden Wheel is the SF Bicycle Coalition’s annual award for excellence in advocacy. Find out what motivates them, how they make progress, and what role the coalition plays in their work. This San Francisco Bicycle Coalition fundraiser is hosted by board members Chema Hernández Gil, Jeremy Pollock, and Jiro Yamamoto. Tuesday, June 6, 7-9 p.m., Chez Poulet, 3359 Cesar Chavez Street, S.F. Tickets available online.
• Wednesday San Francisco Bicycle Coalition Service Station. SFBC Bicycle Ambassadors will be out on the street, at Folsom and 7th, to warm your commute and give the latest update on their work. Stop by for a morning coffee and a snack, and sign a petition. They’ll also offer discounted SFBC memberships of $25. Stop by to join or renew. Wednesday, June 7, 7:30-9:30 a.m., Folsom and 7th, S.F.
• Wednesday Oakland’s Budget. On April 28, Mayor Libby Schaaf released a proposed 2017–2019 budget and capital improvement plan for City Council review. Come hear what’s in the budget, how it compares to previous years, and what it will enable Oakland to do over the next fiscal cycle. Co-presented by Make Oakland Better Now. Wednesday, June 7, 6 p.m. SPUR Oakland, 1544 Broadway, Oakland.
• Thursday  Transit + Design Workshops. SPUR’s Transit + Design Workshops provide a space to learn about the research and design tools that help create a great experience for transit users. Interact with talented designers around this year’s theme — “Putting the ‘Me’ in Transit” — and celebrate design successes happening around the region. Sessions will include how to co-design, how to listen to what riders need, and how to make customizable transit maps. Thursday, June 8, 2-5 p.m., SPUR Urban Center, 654 Mission Street, SF.
• Thursday Convincing Decision-Makers: How and When to Speak Up. Have you ever wondered how a bike lane comes to be and where you fit in? Join SFBC at this workshop where they will explain the public process for changing our streets and guide you through crafting a stellar public comment. You’ll learn how to convince decision-makers at hearings or board meetings. Thursday, June 8, 6-7:30 p.m., San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, 1720 Market St., S.F.
• Sunday Transportation and Development along the Estuary. Join Bike Walk Alameda and the Alameda Home Team on Sunday, June 11th for this free tour of Alameda’s northern waterfront by bike. Get a behind-the-fences look at long inaccessible waterfront sites slated for development. Hear what is proposed and discuss planned and potential bicycle, pedestrian, and transit infrastructure. Event includes a short presentation by each developer at the Encinal Terminals, Shipways, and the Alameda Landing Waterfront development sites. Sunday, June 11, 9:30 a.m., Entrance Road and Clement Avenue, Alameda.

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