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A New Grand Pedestrian Promenade Through Downtown San Diego?

Report of the planning workshop for the proposed 14th Street Promenade

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View South From Market
View south along 14th Street from market

The idea for grand pedestrian routes through downtown San Diego is not new. In 1908, John Nolen famously had vision of a Promenade from Balboa Park to San Diego Bay along what is now Cedar Street. Just imagine how that would be today if it had been implemented 100 years ago, with the beautiful County Administration Building at the bottom of the gentle hill from Park to Bay. Sometimes I think ‘so many opportunities lost’ should be San Diego’s motto.

But, in the fertile minds of planners, this idea hasn’t died. Now, they are being called Green Streets, and six are planned for downtown. [Read more…] about A New Grand Pedestrian Promenade Through Downtown San Diego?

Support the Morena Corridor Specific Plan

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Image showing boundaries of Morena Specific Plan area
Image from Morena Corridor Specific Plan (1/11/2016)

The San Diego Region will struggle in every neighborhood to accommodate the population growth forecasted by SANDAG – as many as a million new residents by 2050. San Diego already has a widely-recognized housing shortage that results in major annual price increases and undermines the city’s climate action plan as commuters go farther afield in search of affordability. The problem will only get worse unless we take bold steps to sensibly accommodate this inevitable growth. [Read more…] about Support the Morena Corridor Specific Plan

Labor, Environment, and Social Justice Groups create coalition to facilitate and advocate for affordable housing in San Diego.

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affordable housing and transitThese are interesting times in the housing world. The unprecedented housing crisis statewide in California, and locally in San Diego, is forging unprecedented coalitions among affordable housing advocates, community-based organizations, labor unions and environmentalists. These coalitions are galvanizing in response to the demand from their members to put all options on the table to tackle this crisis that is taking a significant toll on all of us. [Read more…] about Labor, Environment, and Social Justice Groups create coalition to facilitate and advocate for affordable housing in San Diego.

AIA-SD and E+DC open letter regarding the Soccer City proposal for the Qualcomm Stadium site

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AIA-SD and E+DC LetterheadTo:        Citizens of San Diego, Mayor Faulconer, and City Council Members

From:  The American Institute of Architects San Diego Chapter (AIASD)

      The Environment + Design Council (E+DC)

RE:       Qualcomm Site Developer Selection Process [Read more…] about AIA-SD and E+DC open letter regarding the Soccer City proposal for the Qualcomm Stadium site

UN advocates a more disorderly urban form in New Urban Agenda document and Quito Papers film

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The future is urban. Per the World Bank, 70% of the world’s population will live in cities by 2050. A vision of and plan for housing this mind-boggling percentage is crucial. And that was precisely the task undertaken at the October 2016 meeting of the UN-Habitat III conference in Quito, Ecuador. The conference produced what will surely be a crucial document, the New Urban Agenda (the complete text can be found in PDF here). [Read more…] about UN advocates a more disorderly urban form in New Urban Agenda document and Quito Papers film

Public Transit as a Social Justice Issue

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San Diego TrolleyOne crucial aspect of contemporary debates on spatial politics, socioeconomic stratification, and immigration is the issue of public transit. Prior to the question of a person’s right to be in a city (or supposed lack thereof in the case of undocumented immigrants), there is the question of a city’s duty to provide feasible means for moving around in its space. Albeit mundane, it is a key factor determining a person’s economic and educational opportunities, to name only two. And it hardly bears mentioning, but moving around in San Diego all but requires a car. [Read more…] about Public Transit as a Social Justice Issue

Barrio Logan vs Stadium: why it matters

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Chicano Park
Chicano Park Mural on Logan Ave.

Barrio Logan is little known to most San Diegans – beyond being a predominantly Mexican-American neighborhood near downtown.  Yet it is one of San Diego’s most historically significant and culturally important neighborhoods.

[Read more…] about Barrio Logan vs Stadium: why it matters

San Diego High School in Balboa Park – Statement of Position Balboa Park Conservancy

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The Balboa Park Conservancy acknowledges that San Diego High School has been located on park lands since 1892.  The City and School District entered into a lease agreement in 1974 with the stated intent of the lease to return the site to the City for park purposes in 2024 when the lease expires; however, there appears to be consensus among the School District, City officials and many in the community that continuation of San Diego High School in its current location would be the best use of the 34-acre site in the foreseeable future. [Read more…] about San Diego High School in Balboa Park – Statement of Position Balboa Park Conservancy

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

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The following text and images comprise the East Village Draft Focus Plan released on July 30, 2016, including subsequent minor corrections and additions made by its authors.  It has been reconstituted here from the PDF original version to enable web and mobile viewing (there are formatting variations from the original).  To view a gallery of images, or view any image in its full size, click directly on the image.  The original version may be downloaded from this PDF link (warning: downloading PDF may require high capacity broadband connection).   

[Read more…] about Downtown San Diego’s East Village South Focus Plan – Draft

A Planner’s Opportunity – Gender Neutral Facilities

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Public RestroomThe greatest challenge for anyone involved in planning for public use facilities and areas is in the factoring for the uncertainties of the future, short and long-term. We have all heard that “you don’t build the church for Easter Sunday.” We accept that there will be times when the design will not meet the capacities or timing or attraction for everyone at every time. [Read more…] about A Planner’s Opportunity – Gender Neutral Facilities