Purpose For decades, the San Francisco Bay Area has beckoned people from around the globe with its vitality, moderate climate, and natural beauty. Today, nearly seven million people, along with tens of thousands of national and international corporations, make their homes here. The region’s allure continues to hold sway. A robust economy has spawned vigorous job growth, particularly in Silicon Valley, already a magnet for capital and information. Development—commercial and residential—is booming in many parts of the region. With this exuberant growth, however, come challenges. Most of the region’s new housing stock is being built in outer suburbs, far from the areas where jobs are concentrated. Transportation systems are burdened with ever-growing numbers of commuters. And already-high housing prices are skyrocketing. In large part, the future viability of the Bay Area hinges on how the region’s remaining land is used. Yet, decisions about land use are complicated by the fact that people hold widely differing ideas about what constitutes an appropriate use of land or pace of development. Although land use is clearly a regional issue, it is also the most basic local issue. With a region as large and diverse as the Bay Area, there are bound to be a variety of views about land use and economic development. The San Francisco District Council of the Urban Land Institute (ULI), with additional support from the Bay Area Council, commissioned the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) to produce this report in order to examine how the region’s land use patterns are evolving. The report aims to present objective information that will serve as a basis for discussion, involving citizens, community, business, and political leaders. Key issues center around the character of the Bay Area, its continued economic vitality, and the challenges that accompany growth. Contents of this Report The first section of the report traces the historical development of the region. It also maps current land uses and identifies land designated for future development. The next four sections—the heart of the report—examine recent development activity and provide forecasts of future growth in each of four subregions: South Bay, West Bay, East Bay, and North Bay. The maps in these sections illustrate relative levels of activity for cities and sub-city (census tract) areas. The maps are color-coded based on activity per square mile of land area and are intended as a tool for visualizing the geographic distribution of activity. The concluding section examines issues that emerge from the detailed forecasts but are more regional in scope: the affordability of housing and the spatial relationships between housing, jobs, and transportation.

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