Looking Back to Find the Future of San Diego

Almost 35 years ago, two MIT professors conducted a study on the city of San Diego, eventually releasing an analysis and long-range plan titled "Temporary Paradise?" Today, the group Citizens Coordinate for Century 3 plans to re-release it with additional essays from academics and planners—including Bruce Applewood, the son of one of the original authors.

Recently, Applewood spoke to Bisnow about how the plan is "as relevant today as it was when it came out."

While most planning exercises are either driven by highly local interests or disciplinary silos (such as our regional transportation plans), this document is unique in that it provides a comprehensive regional vision showing how everything is connected through an environmental quality and urban design lens.

According to Roger Showley of the San Diego Union-Tribune, the new edition was originally supposed to come out during the 2016 presidential elections, but the current administration's "priorities on border security, immigration and other issues make the document’s viewpoint even more timely."