Strategic Focus : Urban Stewardship: Urban Leadership

Urban Leadership creates a permanent leadership structure that infuses the principles of great urban design and vibrancy into every important downtown conversation and decision and unleashes the collective energy and resources of the network to hold and drive the vision forward.

Urban Leadership Goals:

• Incubate 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)
• Grow the number of people who care about the future of downtown San Jose—residents, employers, entrepreneurs, and cultural trendsetters
• Keep the conversation about urban vibrancy relevant, impactful and ahead of the curve
• Raise the bar for San Jose’s urban design and architectural standards
• Inspire a sense of pride, independence and confidence in San Jose’s future and raise expectations for Downtown as the City Center of the future
• Advocate for “big deals and small wonders” and contribute to their realization
• Embed 1stACT’s urban stewardship agenda in SPUR, the Urban Catalyst Team and the San Jose Downtown Association (SJDA)

Progress to Date: 1stACT began changing the conversation about downtown San Jose in 2006 when it published an urban design vision framework of “big deals and small wonders” that positioned downtown San Jose as Silicon Valley’s City Center. The vision language is now part of the City’s vernacular and the Downtown San Jose Catalyst Team, a public/ private cross-sector team of leaders, meets quarterly to steward its progress. Additionally: 

• A Great Cities speaker series brought brilliant minds such as Stewart Brand, Dr. Ann Markusen, and Dan Burden to inspire San Jose’s future and inform the City’s 2040 general plan with urban design, transportation and arts and culture priorities 
• The upgrade of the San Jose Airport and its public art program created a sense of arrival in San Jose and increased public confidence and appreciation for iconic public art
• Co-hosted by 1stACT and the City of San Jose, a group of 50 leaders connected to SPUR convened for three days in San Jose, published “Lessons Learned from San Jose” and launched the discussion of their regional expansion to San Jose, which is now fully approved with an MOU in development

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