Recent Streetsblog SF posts about SPUR

What was once a penthouse full of chiller units for an office building, became a roof deck garden for residential units. Image: Emerald Fund

This post is supported by GJEL Accident Attorneys

SPUR Talk: Convert Offices to Housing?

By Roger Rudick | May 17, 2022 | No Comments

People are working from home, resulting in one in five offices in San Francisco sitting empty. The Bay Area also has a housing crisis. Which has more and more people, including Governor Gavin Newsom, thinking it's time to look at converting some of that disused office space into housing.

Seamless Bay Area's work on integrating fares used this map to consider a potential zone fare system. Image: Seamless Bay Area

Bay Area Transit Task Force Approves Pilot Cross-Agency Transit Passes – and Free Transfers

By Melanie Curry | Nov 16, 2021 | No Comments

It's taken years of advocacy work, and isn't done yet. But huge progress is being made on making transit fares make sense to riders.

Griffiths riding transit in the "before times" Photo: Seamless Bay Area

Building a Better Regional Ballot Measure w/ Seamless Bay Area’s Ian Griffiths

By Damien Newton | Dec 16, 2020 | No Comments

As we prepare to bid goodbye to 2020, Streetsblog SF continues its interview series with local and national experts to lay the groundwork for the best possible transit mega-measure for 2022

One of San Jose's new bike lanes last February, 2020. Quick build projects such as this may be the key to convincing people they don't always need a car. Photo: Streetsblog/Rudick

SPUR San Jose: Vision Zero Progress and Challenges

By Melanie Curry | Feb 28, 2020 | No Comments

Adopting a Vision Zero policy is only the first step. San Jose is only now embarking on investing in infrastructure, data, and collaboration to reach the goals of no traffic fatalities.

'Proxy' in Hayes Valley is a great example of vacant lots going to good interim uses (such as dancing). Photo: David Baker Architects

This post is supported by GJEL Accident Attorneys

SPUR Talk: Enlivening Spaces in the Interim

By Roger Rudick | Sep 7, 2017 | No Comments

“Why wait five or six years before doing anything with the space?” was the question Brad Leibin, an‎ architect at David Baker Architects, was asked to help solve about an affordable housing project planned for West Oakland’s San Pablo Avenue at 34th Street. “So we started to make a difference on that streets-cape immediately … […]

SPUR Talk: Dancing on the Grave of “Level of Service”

By Roger Rudick | Jun 2, 2016 | 43 Comments

Wednesday evening, SPUR, the San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association, sponsored a talk entitled “Reconsidering Transportation to Create Better Urban Spaces” at their new downtown Oakland location. The talk focused on the history and damage done by the almost mindless adherence over the years to Level of Service (LOS) on urban spaces […]

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