2012–2013 Ideas and action Annual Report for a better city For the first time in history, the majority of the world’s population resides in cities. And by 2050, more than 75 percent of us will call cities home. SPUR works to make the major cities of the Bay Area as livable and sustainable as possible. Great urban places, like San Francisco’s Dolores Park playground, bring people together from all walks of life. 2 SPUR Annual Report 2012–13 SPUR Annual Report 2012–13 3 It will determine our access to economic opportunity, our impact on the planetary climate — and the climate’s impact on us. If we organize them the right way, cities can become the solution to the problems of our time. We are hard at work retrofitting our transportation infrastructure to support the needs of tomorrow. Shown here: the new Transbay Transit Center, now under construction. 4 SPUR Annual Report 2012–13 SPUR Annual Report 2012–13 5 Cities are places of collective action. They are where we invent new business ideas, new art forms and new movements for social change. Cities foster innovation of all kinds. Pictured here: SPUR and local partner groups conduct a day- long experiment to activate a key intersection in San Francisco’s Mid-Market neighborhood. 6 SPUR Annual Report 2012–13 SPUR Annual Report 2012–13 7 We have the resources, the diversity of perspectives and the civic values to pioneer a new model for the American city — one that moves toward carbon neutrality while embracing a shared prosperity. San Jose City Hall reflects the innovation culture of Silicon Valley and the city’s forward-thinking 2040 Plan. SPUR is working closely with San Jose on its vision to retrofit low-density, suburban neighborhoods for a more prosperous and sustainable future. 8 SPUR Annual Report 2012–13 SPUR Annual Report 2012–13 9 Since 1910, SPUR has been bringing people together to generate ideas and action for a better city. Join us. With more than 200 public events and exhibitions each year, SPUR invites Bay Area residents to get involved in the processes that shape our region’s future. 10 SPUR Annual Report 2012–13 SPUR Annual Report 2012–13 11 SPUR San Jose people, investment and activity Year One Kicks Off • Build on downtown’s investment in urban design and transportation infrastructure • Strengthen downtown as both a central business district and hub for arts, culture, entertainment and living Setting a Transportation Agenda Our first year of work In early 2012, more than 500 urbanists joined us at San Pedro Market Square to celebrate Venue and Program Partners the opening of SPUR San Jose. During our first year, with no permanent in San Jose brought Santa Clara County’s automobile dependency comes at increasing social venue in San Jose, we relied on dozens of together a robust and environmental costs, and a growing Policy Impacts in 2012–13 Building Community: partner organizations to host and co-sponsor our events. Our heartfelt thanks to: community of South Bay percentage of residents are frustrated with In our first year, SPUR shaped debates and Public Programs at SPUR urbanists. their transportation options. After a series influenced policy decisions. We: San Jose Adobe of workshops to identify challenges, SPUR • Relaunched the Urban Catalyst Team, AIA Santa Clara Valley introduced a policy initiative to: Kick off date: May 2012 We launched public programs and built a group of downtown business and American Planning Association, California • Work with the Santa Clara Valley Number of programs in our first year: 50 partnerships with local organizations. We government leaders, to help implement Chapter Northern Transportation Authority to improve Number of participants: 1,500+ weighed in on local planning issues and downtown revitalization Camera 12 Cinemas transit services and create new made our first policy recommendations. • Supported the extension of the high-rise Highlights Certificate in Real Estate Development transportation solutions And, most significantly, we started three incentive program, which encourages • Our launch party at San Pedro Market Program, San Jose State University • Build public demand for a more urban, long-range policy initiatives to shape the dense housing development downtown Square (pictured above) City of San Jose car-optional environment future of San Jose and the South Bay. • Developed strategies to strengthen • Biking and walking tours with city leaders Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library • Recommend new policies, tools and Creating Great Places new planning code requirements for • Talks by prominent design and planning Greenbelt Alliance According to the Association of Bay Area technology to support this shift development projects, suggesting policy authors Heritage Bank of Commerce Governments, San Jose will add more new Envision San Jose 2040, the city’s ambitious • Take strategic advantage of the $10 billion tools that would help reduce dependence • Forums on: Island Press residents in the coming decades than any new general plan, calls for 470,000 new in transit investment that will come from on driving urban design Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino other city in the region. jobs and 120,000 new housing units over BART’s expansion to San Jose, plans for • Successfully advocated to locate a bus social networks and transportation Americana (MACLA) the next 30 years. The plan also reimagines bus rapid transit and the electrification of The shape that growth takes will help rapid transit station in front of city hall to high-speed rail PechaKucha San Jose the city’s suburban landscape as walkable, Caltrain determine the sustainability, livability and improve connectivity and demonstrate employer shuttles San Jose Councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio mixed-use neighborhoods that provide economic vitality of the entire Bay Area. San Jose’s commitment to transit high-rise urbanism San Jose Downtown Association services close to homes, jobs and transit. San Jose faces a particular set of challenges • Improved the design of planned bus rapid urban amenities for suburban campuses San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art In support of Envision San Jose, SPUR’s — shared by many American cities — as it transit stations downtown to integrate and much, much more San Jose Museum of Art Urban Design Task Force launched a policy considers how to retool environments that them with the streetscape and make them San Jose Repertory Theatre initiative to: were built for the automobile in order to more welcoming and functional San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of • Identify what stands in the way of creating support walking, cycling and transit. The Commerce excellent, walkable urban places conversations and projects we initiated this San Jose State University • Rethink policies and practices that were year address this goal from many angles. San Jose State University Urban Planning developed in a car-friendly era Coalition • Recommend policy changes that will San Pedro Square Market improve urban design outcomes Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition Silicon Valley Creates, formerly known as Rethinking Downtown 1stACT Silicon Valley URS Corporation We kicked off our policy work on the future TransForm of downtown San Jose with an article in The ZERO1 Garage Urbanist exploring the history of downtown and the forces that have undermined its position over time. Next we began developing policy recommendations to: • Fill downtown’s streets and buildings with 12 SPUR Annual Report 2012–13 SPUR Annual Report 2012–13 13 Community Planning Our goal: Build great neighborhoods. http://www.spur.org/centralcorridor http://www.spur.org/urbandesignlessons http://www.spur.org/takedown280 http://www.spur.org/sfwaterfront San Jose: A City of Urban Transforming the SF Taking Down I-280 Villages Waterfront After the Embarcadero and Central In late 2011, San Jose adopted an ambitious In recent decades, San Francisco’s freeways were severely damaged in the new general plan to guide the city’s waterfront has been home to some of Loma Prieta earthquake, San Francisco took evolution into a more urban, transit- the city’s most transformative projects, a tragic situation and turned it into a great oriented and livable place. The plan seeks including Mission Bay, AT&T Park, China urban planning success story: the creation to channel growth into designated areas Basin and the South Beach neighborhood. of the Embarcadero and Octavia Boulevard. along major corridors, including 70 “urban Today the waterfront is once again where San Francisco now has another opportunity villages” — dense, walkable hubs with a mix many of the city’s largest and most exciting to take down a freeway while creating major of jobs, retail and housing. The city is now development proposals are taking shape, transportation infrastructure improvements embarking on an urban-village planning including Seawall Lot 337/Pier 48 (also in an important area of the city. Currently, process to translate the general plan’s known as Mission Rock), Pier 70 and the the stub end of Interstate 280 creates a development targets into great urban places Warriors’ stadium. At the same time, barrier between the developing Mission Bay that enhance San Jose’s neighborhoods and the Port of San Francisco and the Bay neighborhood and Potrero Hill. At the same the city at large. SPUR is working with city Conservation and Development Commission time, the 19-acre Caltrain rail yard forms leadership to help shape the urban-village (BCDC) are initiating a series of planning a barrier between Mission Bay and SoMa. planning process and identify policies and studies to look at the open space system SPUR released a report showing how these design principles that support the laudable between Fisherman’s Wharf and China challenges can be addressed with a few goals of the general plan. Basin Channel. These studies will include dramatic moves that could transform this the future locations of several open water divided part of the city while generating basins, which will provide public access funding for several key regional transit to the water.