• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

San Diego UrbDeZine

Urban Design + Development + Economics + Community

WCAG 2.0 (Level AA)

East Village Focus Plan

Click Here for
Downtown San Diego’s East Village South Focus Plan – Draft

 

  • Home
  • Calendar
  • DT Dev Map
  • Resources
  • Urb Main
  • Log in

Murtaza Baxamusa

Why climate change action cannot succeed without social equity

March 8, 2016 By Murtaza Baxamusa 2 Comments

social equity for Sustainability
People-centric planning for Sustainability

Over 120 cities and counties in California have a climate action plan either completed or in the pipeline.  As cities develop these plans and initiatives to address climate change, it is important to emphasize that social equity is integrated within environmental policies. The vulnerabilities, resilience and sustainability of the human ecosystem are as much determined by diversity and inter-dependence as its natural counterpart. As Pope Francis said in Laudato Sí, “a true ecological approach always becomes a social approach; it must integrate questions of justice in debates on the environment, so as to hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.” [Read more…] about Why climate change action cannot succeed without social equity

Filed Under: Ecology, environmental health, Feature Posts, Planning, San Diego, Transportation Tagged With: carbon emission, climate change, global warming, social equity

Urban planning without social equity is like playing chess without the queen.

December 12, 2015 By Murtaza Baxamusa Leave a Comment

Planning, equality, social justice chessboardWith rising inequality, a looming climate change crisis, and persistent state of housing unaffordability being the defining issues in the growth of American cities in the twenty-first century, it is time for urban planners to take social policy seriously. Too often, social policy is relegated to a specialized role for advocacy planners, at other times ignored completely for being too political, and often times dismissed as “creeping socialism” that is inappropriate in land-use planning. This prompted planning legend Norman Krumholtz to call the profession “timid,” not as much to reflect on the work ethics of rank-and-file planners, but the leadership of those in power, who do not allow planning to pursue equity objectives. The most powerful piece on the planning chess-board is unavailable to most urban planners. [Read more…] about Urban planning without social equity is like playing chess without the queen.

Filed Under: Affordable Housing, environmental health, Feature Posts, Planning, San Diego Tagged With: Affordable Housing, environmental health, equity planning, Norman Krumholtz, social equity, urban planning

California lawmakers seek local oversight of downtown planning

September 9, 2015 By Murtaza Baxamusa Leave a Comment

construction worker and he family at downtown construction site“Downtown is for people” wrote legendary urban planner Jane Jacobs in 1958, in response to building-centric redevelopment that was a byproduct of politics and economics seeking to rebuild cities across America. During her lifetime, she advocated for citizens to decide what end results they wanted, pioneering concepts like “social capital,” and advocating for planners to steer the rebuilding machinery to serve the community.

Yet, even today, downtown San Diego is being built as a collection of projects, with an approval process that consistently favors developers. [Read more…] about California lawmakers seek local oversight of downtown planning

Filed Under: Affordable Housing, Feature Posts, Opinion, Planning, Revitalization, San Diego Tagged With: CCDC, Civic San Diego, jane jacobs, redevelopment, San Diego

How to fix California’s Housing Affordability Crisis

July 7, 2015 By Murtaza Baxamusa 5 Comments

As the economy improves, California’s affordable housing crisis is worsening. The average rent in California ($1,240) is almost fifty percent higher than the national average. This is pricing out our state’s low-wage blue collar workers, who have flat incomes and rising commutes. It would take a service worker in San Jose 20 years to save up enough to buy a home. [Read more…] about How to fix California’s Housing Affordability Crisis

Filed Under: Affordable Housing, Feature Posts, San Diego Tagged With: Affordable Housing, California, housing crisis, inclusionary housing

How Communities can Benefit from Private Development in California

April 24, 2015 By Murtaza Baxamusa Leave a Comment

Ninth & Broadway San Diego, Celadon by Bridge HousingThere is a building boom across California, but many communities have been historically left behind. Property tax increment has served as a planning and investment tool to provide public benefits such as affordable housing, good jobs and neighborhood amenities. However, with the end of redevelopment, cash-poor cities across California are exploring innovative strategies to fund public benefits. One such strategy is to partner with developers for community benefits in exchange for planning and development rights. [Read more…] about How Communities can Benefit from Private Development in California

Filed Under: Affordable Housing, Feature Posts, Planning, Revitalization, San Diego Tagged With: Affordable Housing, community benefits, redevelopment, San Diego, San Francisco

Downtown Is for Everyone — Not Just Developers – Voice of San Diego

March 10, 2015 By Murtaza Baxamusa Leave a Comment

http://voiceofsandiego.org/topics/opinion/downtown-is-for-everyone-not-just-developers/

Yes, Civic San Diego issues permits faster than the city. But that means there’s less meaningful public involvement on a project-specific level.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

In Defense of Uncertainty

October 13, 2014 By Murtaza Baxamusa 2 Comments

Nobody likes uncertainty. Certainly not the developers of a billion dollar mixed-use project that encounters community opposition due to traffic impacts. Nor the public transportation agency that runs into fairy shrimp on the future route of a trolley line. Nor the city planners for multifamily housing around a transit station that face a revolt from their single-family neighbors. [Read more…] about In Defense of Uncertainty

Filed Under: Affordable Housing, Feature Posts, Planning, San Diego, Transportation Tagged With: Affordable Housing, Civic San Diego, housing, infill, redevelopment, transit, transit oriented development, urban planning, urban renewal, urbanism, zoning

This case study on City Heights is essential reading for urban planners

August 14, 2014 By Murtaza Baxamusa Leave a Comment

http://www.sdcitybeat.com/sandiego/article-13286-finding-a-cure-for-the-%E2%80%98huffman-virus.html

Huffman-style properties were built fast to meet a perceived economic threat. With new Mission Valley shopping centers luring consumers away from neighborhood businesses, midcentury Mid-City—North Park, City Heights, Normal Heights, Hillcrest, Un…

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Beware of Wall Street Schemes on Redevelopment

August 1, 2014 By Murtaza Baxamusa Leave a Comment

Civic San Diego's HQ, 401 B St.With the demise of redevelopment in California, some cities are looking for creative ways to stay solvent. One idea is to leverage New Market Tax Credits (NMTC) to buy properties and become landlords. This acquisition fund concept was recently adopted by Civic San Diego (CivicSD), a nonprofit corporation that is a consultant to the city of San Diego on the wind-down of redevelopment. [Read more…] about Beware of Wall Street Schemes on Redevelopment

Filed Under: Affordable Housing, Feature Posts, Planning, Revitalization, San Diego Tagged With: Affordable Housing, CCDC, CDBG, CDE, Community Development Block Grants, Community Development Enterprise, New Market Tax Credits, NMTC, redevelopment, revitalization, smart growth, urban renewal, urbanism

  • « Previous Page
  • Page 1
  • Page 2

Primary Sidebar

Event Calendar Submissions:

Post Your Event

Top 10 Blog

Top 10 Blog - Our City SD

Top 10 Blog - Our City SD

Avatars by Sterling Adventures

Copyright © 2019 UrbDeZine