Valerie Carrasco

"The annual Silver SPUR Awards Luncheon is one of San Francisco’s largest and most important civic events of the year. Over 2,000 people will pay tribute to six people who make our city and region a better place to live and work. This event has evolved over 49 years, but its purpose remains the same: to recognize the contributions and dreams of remarkable San Franciscans."

"The 500,000 people who use bicycles each day in Copenhagen are not “cyclists,” nor are they “environmentalists.” They merely choose to ride because of safe, quick infrastructure. After 30 years of traffic and urban planning, the bicycle has become a democratic tool liberating Copenhagenites from cars and created the foundations for one of the world's most liveable cities. Speaker Mikael Coleville-Andersen is Denmark's leading bicycle advocate, advising cities, towns and organizations about bicycle culture, infrastructure and urban planning with a unique focus on the anthropological aspects of getting more citizens to choose the bicycle."

"Architects David Baker, Ian Dunn and Amit Price Patel of David Baker + Partners Architects and David Fletcher from Fletcher Studio will present Xero Project, their winning entry in the Re:Vision Dallas competition designed in conjunction with Fletcher Studio. Sponsored by Urban Re:Vision of San Francisco, the competition asked designers to propose a fully sustainable city block. Xero Project reaches beyond the 2.4 acre site located near Dallas’s City Hall to propose a new district that enacts a symbiosis of agriculture and daily life. Their talk will address incorporating high-density sustainable housing into an urban plan built around green space and food production." 

"Ken Caldeira, of the Carnegie Institution for Science's Department of Global Ecology at Stanford University—one of the world’s leading scientists in climate change—presents policy-relevant science to help solve the carbon-climate problem. Hear about carbon-neutral energy for economic growth and environmental preservation—and the back up plan: goengineering. Beyond numerous scientific journals, he’s written for The New Yorker and The New York Times, contributed to reports that won the Nobel Peace Prize, has testified before Congress and the British Parliament and will organize a session on geoengineering in Copenhagen."

"Sam Lubell, California editor of The Architect's Newspaper, will talk about and sign copies of his book Living West: New Residential Architecture in Southern California. The book explores 30 structures showcasing sustainability, new technologies, unusual envelopes, prefab construction, cliffside living, and adaptive reuse. From Los Angeles to Montecito to San Diego and the arid conditions of Joshua Tree the book illustrates the wide range of responses to geography, climate, budget and space in one of the world’s most experimental places for architecture." 

"Almost overnight, Times Square in New York City has become a great place to sit and watch the world. Tim Tompkins, President of the Times Square Alliance, the business improvement district that manages the iconic New York space, will share the story of the ongoing trial of a new pedestrian plaza in Times Square, and generally how business organizations can make the most of the public realm. What role do street spaces play in a highly competitive business environment? Organized by the San Francisco Great Streets Project." 

"Tour the newest great public spaces in San Francisco, created as part of the City's Pavement to Parks Initiative. Planning Department staff will guide you through the process of how these new, instant trial "parks" came to be, as well as their future. Sites on the tour will include Castro Commons, a trial plaza at 17th Street and Castro, Guerrero Park, a community space at the intersection of San Jose and Guerrero Avenues, and Showplace Triangle, a new plaza at 8th & 16th Streets." 

"Join SPUR's Young Urbanists for an informal gathering and learn what's on the ballot for the November election and what it means for San Francisco. You'll hear the inside story from Corey Marshall of the SFMTA, SPUR Deputy Director Sarah Karlinsky and other guests speakers."

"Iran has been in a state of conflict since the controversial presidential election in June. Marc Babsin, principal at Emerald Fund, spent three weeks in Tehran immediately following the election. Join Marc for his observations on Iran’s urban culture, daily life and shifting political landscape."

"Anthony Flint, author of Wrestling with Moses: How Jane Jacobs Took on New York's Master Builder and Transformed the American City, will address trends in planning, infrastructure, density and NIMBYism as cities confront the challenges of energy and climate change. Flint, a former Boston Globe journalist, is director of public affairs at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy."