SPUR Executive Director Gabriel Metcalf is a builder of bridges
By: Brent Begin
Examiner Staff Writer
April 25, 2009
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| SPUR Executive Director Gabriel Metcalf knows the secret to working with the political factions in San Francisco in order to encourage smarter growth and a more livable city. (Cindy Chew/The Examiner) |
SAN FRANCISCO — He may be a radical at heart, but Gabriel Metcalf’s approach to improving San Francisco takes the center road instead of any one-sided stance.
He helps drive planning and transportation decisions as the executive director of The City’s most influential think tank, the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association.
“The source of our influence is being respected for our ideas, for the quality of our work, for the rigor of our thinking,” Metcalf said.
In a city where planning battles drag for decades and transportation projects are brought to a halt by a single lawsuit, SPUR is often viewed as the voice of reason and compromise.
Through Urbanist, a monthly newsletter that is read by the movers and shakers in San Francisco, as well as its white papers and almost daily forums about issues plaguing The City, SPUR can single-handedly push a debate to the forefront of the political agenda.
At the center of the storm is the bicycle-riding Metcalf with his suit and stylish frames. Beneath the über-kempt appearance lies what friends and colleagues say is man who is a radical at heart.
He was raised by parents who were active in Students for a Democratic
Society. His father was an economist and mother an environmental lawyer. Metcalf said he remembers holding his parents’ hands at a protest against the Rocky Flats nuclear plant.
He still wants to revolutionize the world, but that can only happen with planning, fundraising, fostering ideas and then convincing people to agree, he said. Metcalf prefers to stay away from the polarizing forces and instead act as an intermediary between the oft-squabbling policymakers in San Francisco.
“I would love to be considered a bridge,” he said. “The people who are considered moderates in San Francisco would be considered crazy radicals on a national level, and we’ve got to remember that.”
So whether it is working with former Supervisor Aaron Peskin, considered a progressive, to pass a measure to increase the scope of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency or glad-handing with Mayor Gavin Newsom, considered a moderate, at a business breakfast, Metcalf seems to know the secret to navigating San Francisco politics: Stay out of it.
He is unaffiliated. He contributes nothing to political campaigns. And don’t even ask him who will be the next mayor. SPUR does not even endorse candidates, although it weighs in on voter initiatives.
One of the biggest issues for Metcalf is the lack of development in The City, which he said is the root of most problems. The City would be much more affordable if housing at all price levels was allowed to proceed without San Francisco’s strict zoning codes, he said.
Metcalf says making it affordable for suburban home dwellers to move to The City will solve some social and environmental problems, a philosophy that has been reinforced after having children.
He has been involved with Elizabeth Sullivan, who founded Bay Area nonprofit rental car company City CarShare, for 18 years. The two met at Antioch College and are now the parents of two boys, 2 and 6.
“In many ways, S.F. is a really kid-friendly place, contrary to popular opinion,” he said.
In the process of tackling that issue and numerous others in The City, the size of the SPUR staff has grown along with its influence.
When Metcalf took over as executive director in 2005, he was one of four employees. Now the organization has 16 employees — as well as volunteers who are clamoring at the chance to put in time.
The current base of operations for the agency is a dingy building on Sutter Street where co-workers squeeze by one another down narrow hallways, asking when a colleague will give up the cramped conference room.
But that tight space will soon by abandoned for the newly constructed building at 654 Mission St. It is a location where the nonprofit will be able to expand its mission — and the working space for its influential staff.
Gabriel Metcalf
Born: June 20, 1970
Raised: Boulder, and suburbs of Colorado
Residence: Castro district
Family: Partner of 18 years, Elizabeth Sullivan; two boys, 2 and 6 years old
Favorite mode of transportation: Bicycle
Band: Built to Spill
Television show: Hasn’t found a favorite since “The Wire” went off the air
Movie: “Wings of Desire”
Recently read: “Narrow Road to the Interior” by Matsuo Basho
Influence or role model: Ken Livingstone and Michael Bloomberg
One person he would like to have dinner with: President Barack Obama
Favorite spot in San Francisco: Dolores Park on a sunny day
One spot in The City he wishes he could improve: Corner of Market Street and Van Ness Avenue
Gabriel Metcalf on …
Global warming “For our generation, the threat of climate change is what the Depression and World War II were for other generations. It’s the threat that defines what we do. We have to stop the production of greenhouse gases. We’ve known about this for over a quarter-century now, and still, as a species, we have not dealt with the problem.”
Federal stimulus “The extension of Caltrain to downtown and eventually under the Bay to Oakland would transform our infrastructure and connect the three central cities of the Bay. The problem with stimulus dollars, though, is that the desire to spend the money quickly leads to putting a fresh coat of paint on the assets we already have. Rather than just repaving highways, we need to be building high-speed rail to connect to cities.”
What he would change about city government “A well-run government with a strong economic base is something that should be part of our culture. San Francisco also needs to focus on fighting climate change. We can accomplish that by channeling all Bay Area growth in San Francisco and by making public transportation so appealing and enticing that it encourages people to leave their cars at home.”
What he would change about transit “We are still a city where the broad middle class uses transit, but we’re in danger of losing that if we don’t make some major investments in transit. The big thing for Muni is that it needs to concentrate service on the core, trunk transit lines and run the service all the time. On those core lines, all sources of delay need to be removed.”
Bicycling “San Francisco could be a bicycle paradise and making safe bike paths all over The City is probably the cheapest way to get people out of their cars.”
What affects the character of a city the most “The lack of housing, which is the reason The City is so expensive, that is what is threatening the character of a city. The buildings of The City, the infrastructure of a city, changes over time. Cities are not static unless you want to make it a museum piece.”
The most important project being developed in San Francisco “Again, the Transbay redevelopment area is huge. ... But there are a lot of important developments. The mid-Market entertainment district is going to be really amazing. We’ve got Treasure Island. There’s a bunch of neat projects being proposed along the waterfront. Park Merced is a really neat renovation. The Hunters Point Shipyard.”
Congestion pricing “The right way to do congestion pricing is on the bridges and highways, and through parking, not through the downtown corridors. What if we priced every major artery into The City?”
