SPUR -- August 18, 2009

Earlier this year, SPUR (San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association) opened its Urban Center on Mission Street. Today at lunchtime I was able to visit and see their current exhibit, "Agents of Change: Civic Idealism and the Making of San Francisco." It talked about how San Francisco grew in the Nineteenth Century with its rigid street grid and political corruption. It goes on to cover the Burnham plan, the earthquake and fire, and the graft prosecutions. It says nice things about James Phelan and how Sunny Jim Rolph implemented many of his ideas. Another display talks about urban planning from the earlier Greater San Francisco plans and modifications to the bay, up to SPUR itself. It didn't go into detail about the urban redevelopment controversies, but it mentioned them. In the front window was a nice model of downtown San Francisco. The suggested donation of five dollars seemed high.