Ideas
Articles and essays written and contributed to by Kristen Hall
SPUR Report: Temporary to Transformative
Leveraging San Francisco’s pandemic programs to usher in a new era for the city’s streets.
SPUR Digital Discourse: Designing for Big Projects
Listen to this SPUR event to hear why cities, designers and developers are turning to standards and guidelines to build compelling big projects.
A Blueprint for Cities to Emerge from Shelter-In-Place
As shelter-in-place orders begin to be lifted around the country, here's a look at some strategies cities should consider for a safer recovery.
Resiliency Roundtable Featuring Kristen Hall
The difficult first task of planning for resilience is to get your head around the challenges before you can begin to think about design solutions to address them.
4 Important Things to Consider When Designing Streets For People, Not Just Cars
Exploring modern solutions for how streets can be reimagined for the US context.
SPUR Report: Making Al Fresco Work
Four strategies to simplify and expand San Jose’s Al Fresco program.
COVID-19 and A Tale of Two Cities
What will we do when we finally emerge from our homes at the end of this crisis? We can start by remembering that the future is not yet written, and that we have the power to determine its shape and trajectory.
A New Vision for Los Angeles Streets
When you think about Los Angeles, a lot of things come to mind. Hollywood. Beaches. La La Land. But somewhere, close to the top of that list, has to be cars. In LA, they’re everywhere. In fact, 24% of LA’s land area is made up of asphalt, streets, and parking spaces — a staggering 340 square miles. That’s almost fifteen times the size of Manhattan and seven times bigger than San Francisco, all devoted simply to cars in LA…
5 Steps to Creating High-Performance Communities
As we become a planet of city-dwellers, planners and urban designers have an imperative to design communities that perform better than ever before. But what exactly does “performance” mean? Here are five essential ingredients for designing a high-performance community…
SPUR Report: A Downtown for Everyone
After years of struggling to attract investment, downtown Oakland is enjoying a renaissance. How can the city ensure that everyone can share in the opportunity?