SPUR

To celebrate the release of the SPUR Voter Guide on October 8th, Ballots & Brews is back! This beloved tradition will provide you with clear insights and SPUR's stance on the issues relevant to our policy areas. Grab your ballot and your brew, and join our policy staff in San Francisco, San José, and Oakland as we discuss the local and state measures on the November 5 ballot that impact each city. Register below for your free ticket! ?????? San Francisco: https://lnkd.in/ghmST-tx San José: https://lnkd.in/gFZNZmzp Oakland: https://lnkd.in/gQHRaYvC

We have received so many compliments on the beautiful cover illustration that Sam Rodriguez created for the latest issue of our SPUR Member magazine, The Urbanist. Thank you, Sam!

Thank you to David A. Friedman and Paulette Meyer — Crown sponsors of the 2024 Silver SPUR Awards. We are so grateful for your support. Interested in attending or sponsoring the Silver SPUR Awards? Learn more at https://lnkd.in/gGuKzfV

Groundwater rise is one of the biggest risks for communities near the Bay. Eleanor R. of The Almanac summarizes the findings of Sarah Atkinson’s report on the topic ?? https://lnkd.in/gfRA2a5q

We are excited to share our newly published report, ???????? ?????? ??????????: ?????????????????????? ???????? ?????????????? ???? ???????? ???????? ???????? — ?? ???????? ?????????? ?????? ?????????????????? ???????????????????? by Sarah Atkinson. As Bay Area policymakers plan for the impacts of sea level rise, they have an opportunity and duty to address another emerging climate change hazard: groundwater rise. Doing so will reduce and avoid significant human health and economic impacts. Without adaptation measures, groundwater rise in the Bay Area’s low-lying communities will exacerbate flooding events, damage belowground infrastructure, mobilize contaminants at legacy industrial sites, and increase the risk of building damage in an earthquake. SPUR’s latest report identifies how rising groundwater is likely to affect one Bay Area city: East Palo Alto. SPUR partnered with community-based organization Nuestra Casa and examined recent scientific studies to learn more about the threat and potential policy responses. The report explains specific risks and offers five recommendations — all applicable to other Bay shore cities. Some key takeaways: 1?? East Palo Alto and other low-lying Bay shore communities will feel the impacts of groundwater rise long before sea level rise causes overland flooding. 2?? Efforts to lessen those impacts should be part of state, regional, and local plans for sea level rise adaptation, infrastructure upgrades, and contaminated site remediation. 3?? Strategies need to be equity-focused: like other climate change risks, groundwater rise is likely to be most severe in low-income communities of color already by industrial pollution, aging infrastructure, and housing affordability. To read the full report visit https://lnkd.in/ditZCmfw

In this Q&A, SPUR's Hazard Resilience Senior Policy Manager Sarah Atkinson discusses the perils of not addressing groundwater rise, the specific impacts that East Palo Alto may experience, and the importance of partnering with community organizations like Nuestra Casa. Link in comments. ????

How are you re-imagining the region? Join the conversation at the Silver SPUR Awards on October 24, 2024. SPUR has invited a curated group of ten partners to participate in a visual storytelling project, to be shown at the Silver SPUR Awards networking reception. Inspired by SPUR's Regional Strategy, each partner has been asked to share how they are re-imagining our region — covering topics like transportation, housing, sustainability and resilience, and how we can create cities and shared spaces that foster a sense of belonging. Be there to join the conversation. Tickets and sponsorships are still available at spur.org/silverspur

City and county government plays a critical role in providing for the well-being of San Franciscans. The decisions it makes — and its capacity to implement those decisions effectively — directly affect the lives of hundreds of thousands of people every day. A new SPUR report examines how governance choices have distributed authority and maximized oversight, leading to policies that don’t always meet the needs of the people they intend to serve. SPUR offers 8 recommendations that could be implemented through charter amendments, practice and legislative changes, and the budget process to help make government work better. Read the report: https://lnkd.in/ghW2fpG4

Making progress on issues like reducing fossil fuel use takes time and perseverance. Here’s a look under the hood at SPUR’s multi-year process to pass state bills that are dramatically speeding up the delivery of sustainable transportation projects. https://lnkd.in/g8j8F4aU SPUR Impact Stories tell the backstory behind our work: what we get done, and how we do it. Explore more stories at https://lnkd.in/gccQ8q-i

So great to be in conversation today on KQED Forum with Alexis Madrigal, Jessica Trounstine, and Nithya Raman on the state of west coast cities.