Formerly a bastion of sprawling suburban developments, the San Diego region is experiencing a renaissance of urban infill development and higher-density, mixed use construction projects.
According to an article by Karen Jordan, "A shift is taking place in “America’s finest city” as San Diego appears to be trading in its suburban sprawl for urban living. "With the county nearing the limits of its "suburban growth boundaries," developers are increasingly shifting from building sprawling single-family neighborhoods to multifamily developments in infill locations.
"Coleen Clementson, deputy CEO for planning, projects, and programs at the San Diego Association of Governments, echoes the increased interest in urbanized areas." Clementson says "much more of the focus is on reinvesting in our urbanized areas, really focusing our growth and development where there’s existing infrastructure and new transit."
One new transit line, "The Blue Line Trolley extension is opening up a realm of possibilities since local residents will also be able to make connections into Mission Valley, which includes Riverwalk, a planned mixed-use community from Houston-based real estate investment group Hines and the Levi-Cushman family."
The real estate boom extends south of the border to Tijuana, which "has become the number-one city for developers to invest in over any other city in Mexico, says [Hector Bustamante, CEO of Tijuana-based Bustamante Realty Group]." The article details the development changing other San Diego County communities, such as the beach community of Oceanside, where large beachfront projects are springing up to serve tourists and visitors from the nearby Camp Pendleton Marine base. Meanwhile, the Port of San Diego is taking part in projects that seek to revive formerly industrial coastal areas.
FULL STORY: San Diego County’s Urban Revival
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Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association