Mission: Through research, education and advocacy, SPUR (the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association) promotes good planning and good government in the San Francisco Bay Area. SPUR's history dates back to 1910, when a group of young city leaders came together to improve the quality of housing after the 1906 earthquake and fire. SPUR was reorganized in 1959 to fight for the revitalization of San Francisco as the Bay Area's central city. It was given the charge of channeling growth away from suburban sprawl and back into the urban core. Throughout the 1960s, SPUR worked to build support for the land use, transportation and investment strategies that could support center-oriented growth and urban economic vitality. Since then, SPUR has been involved with virtually every major planning decision in the city. (Less)

SPUR is a 501(c)(3) organization, with an IRS ruling year of 1961, and donations are tax-deductible.