Strategic Focus: Urban Stewardship

Urban Stewardship focuses on advancing the vibrancy of Downtown San Jose through urban design, the continuation of aesthetic and streetscape improvements, and social and cultural offerings that draw people downtown. This Knight Grant will help to create a sustainable leadership structure that infuses the principles of great urban design and vibrancy into every important downtown conversation and decision. It will unleash the collective energy and resources of a network of leaders and organizations that enables 1stACT to:

• Increase the number of people engaged and inspired about the future of downtown San Jose—residents, employers, entrepreneurs, and cultural trendsettersActivate downtown spaces with music, cultural and social gatheringsRaise the bar for San Jose’s urban design and architectural standards
• Complete streetscape improvements in SoFA and “seed” ongoing improvements

These goals will be accomplished through: 1) incubating the expansion to San Jose of the San Francisco Urban Planning and Research Association (SPUR--a one hundred year-old San Francisco-based organization focused on urban design, planning and good government); 2) engaging thousands of citizens in a Great Cities speaker series focused on architecture and urban design; 3) continuing the transformation of SoFA as an active arts and culture district and applying the same principles in two other districts; 4) infusing live music into the soul of downtown San Jose; and 5) embedding 1stACT’s agenda in SPUR, the Urban Catalyst Team, San Jose Downtown Association and San Jose Jazz.

If you have any questions or for more information, please direct your inquiry to Erika Justis, Director of Creative Place at ejustis@1stact.org