Conference Tours
The eighth-largest city in the U.S., San Diego is one of the most livable and sustainable major metropolitan areas in the nation. An innovative pioneer in the smart growth movement, the San Diego region has no shortage inspiring models for creating transit-oriented, compact development; transforming downtowns and ethnically diverse, older neighborhoods; designing walkable, mixed-use urban villages; preserving parks and open space; military base reuse, and fostering the emergence of leading high-tech, telecommunications and clean-tech businesses.
Several exciting tours of projects, communities and neighborhoods featuring many of these models will be included as part of the 2012 New Partners for Smart Growth Conference. Tours will be scheduled on Thursday morning and afternoon (2/2), and on Sunday morning (2/5).
Thursday's tours will explore urban infill and community renaissance
on Main Street and in Little Italy; exemplary complete streets and
road diets; a light rail tour of suburban TOD retrofits; smart-growth
development for affordable housing; climate change implications for
San Diego Bay communities and habitats; innovative efforts focused on
public art, parks and access to healthy food; and community-driven
revitalization that fosters equitable development and environmental
justice. The Sunday tours will walk Downtown, pedal around public bike
options, plug into San Diego’s electric vehicle infrastructure, and
dig into the benefits of community gardens.
For information on the 3-day pre-conference tour with Dan Burden and Paul Zykofsky, please visit the Special Features page.
Thursday, February 2
Morning Tours
Tour 1. A Tour of Environmental Injustice to Community Uprising
8:00 am - 12:00 pm
Cost: $30
Community leaders, the Environmental Health Coalition staff and the International Rescue Committee will share how the built environment affects residents’ health and the community-driven innovative solutions that are slowly transforming Barrio Logan, Old Town National City and City Heights. In Old Town National City and Barrio Logan, participants will be able to see industrial uses located near homes, schools and churches. A visit to City Heights will show the community’s lack of access to healthy food. Despite the challenges, organized residents in these communities have been able to relocate toxic non-conforming uses through an amortization ordinance (phase-out process), construct a new 201-unit affordable housing project, update the oldest community plan in San Diego, and create an exemplary community garden. Transportation includes a trolley and walking. Light refreshments will be provided.
Tour 2. From Net-Zero Buildings to Net-Positive Neighborhoods: A Light Rail Tour
8:00 am – 12:00 pm
Cost: $33
Explore two innovative smart-growth developments that incorporate high levels of green building and affordable housing. Participants will see how resident engagement in neighborhood planning can lead to strong support for both improved urban design and ambitious green building goals and whether these single-building projects can spark larger suburban transit-oriented development retrofits. You will explore Los Vecinos, a 42-unit affordable housing project in Chula Vista—an LEED Platinum, net-zero electricity building (producing all of its electricity needs on-site) located in a classic “suburban retrofit” setting that is three times as dense as the surrounding area. The second development is The Village at Market Creek, an 83-acre neighborhood redevelopment being constructed around the Euclid Avenue light-rail station by the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation, a resident-led, non-profit community development organization. A recipient of an EPA Brownfield planning grant and California Catalyst Community development funds, the Village is pursuing LEED for Neighborhood Development certification. Transportation includes light rail and walking. Light refreshments will be provided.
*SOLD OUT*
Tour 3. Birdrock's La Jolla Boulevard – Could This Be America's Most Remade Street?
8:00 am – 12:00 pm
Cost: $45
Take a walking audit with walkability gurus Dan Burden and Scott Peters to learn more about road diets, roundabouts, traffic calming, urban infill, suburban repair, the value of public processes and more. See the lush Southern California street-scaped remake of La Jolla Boulevard—from a five-lane, ho-hum sprawl street to one of North America’s most beautiful, functional road diets that reduced five lanes to two, replaced four signals and a four-way stop with five roundabouts, maintained the same traffic load of 23,000 cars daily while getting people home sooner at speeds 20 mph lower, and boosted retail vitality, social activity, authentic sense of place, and an enviable synergy of pedestrians and bicyclists. This tour also includes a short visit to Del Mar. Transportation includes a bus and walking. Lunch will be provided.
Tour 4. Little Italy's Renaissance through Smart Growth Management
8:00 am – 12:00 pm
Cost: $30
CM 3.0 — Experience a model of community revitalization and smart growth urban infill where density enhances the quality of life. Learn how business improvement and maintenance assessment districts can efficiently deliver value, place and community. Explore tools, techniques and simple physical/operational improvements that lead to the rebirth and growth of a community. Local experts and managers will lead participants on a walking tour of Little Italy, awarded “Community of Distinction” recognition by the San Diego Section of the American Planning Association and honored as “Smart Growth Community of the Decade” by the Urban Land Institute’s San Diego-Tijuana chapter. Learn how Little Italy has developed since the formation of its Business Improvement District and Maintenance Assessment District, and the role that these “special benefit districts” play in transforming an area. The tour will also include a graphic demonstration of how Little Italy overcame near destruction by highway construction to become a leading destination and model for walkability and smart-growth redevelopment. You will experience the many physical and operational techniques to create, maintain and market attractive spaces, support local businesses, and celebrate heritage while successfully accommodating substantial infill development that enhances the quality of life for community residents. Transportation includes a trolley and walking. Light refreshments will be provided.
Afternoon Tours
*SOLD OUT*
Tour 5. The Multiple Colors of North Park Main Street’s Revitalization
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Cost: $30
The renaissance of San Diego’s gritty North Park district strives to reverse decades of disinvestment through a series of catalyst projects and impassioned grassroots efforts. Residents and businesses leaving for the suburbs in the 1970s sparked artist-led activism that sustains the neighborhood to this day. We will walk down Ray Street, where property owners years ago began renting principally to artists—contributing to a high concentration of galleries and the foundation of a preeminent arts and entertainment district. A stop at the renovated theater showcases a catalyst project that leverages both economic development and heritage, while the youth arts center exemplifies how public funds can blend social services with the arts. Explore the power of public-private partnerships with North Park Main Street, the district’s historic preservation-based economic development organization, and North Park Redevelopment Project. A tour of mixed-use, affordable and transitional housing projects will demonstrate infill that is compatible with the neighborhood’s design and demographics. Recent groundwork has been set for a sustainable community planning and visioning initiative that will benefit the local economy, environment and historic preservation—as well as reconfigure the main thoroughfare by replacing parking with bike caravans. Since North Park has a strong farm-to-table movement and artisan beer craft, the tour ends at a brewery for a toast to accommodating change that benefits all residents and the multiple colors of the neighborhood’s history. Transportation includes a trolley and walking. Light refreshments will be provided.
*SOLD OUT*
Tour 6. “Smart Growth” San Diego Style
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Cost: $30
Join us for a fun and informative bus ride through “America’s Finest City,” as we travel to some of San Diego’s most innovative transit-oriented developments. Smart growth developments are a key goal, but they also require extra planning. The San Diego Housing Commission is partnering with the San Diego Redevelopment Agency to discuss the challenges that go into planning, designing and financing these developments. You will also learn how the Housing Commission’s three-year TOD plan and strategic public/private partnerships have helped San Diego increase TOD around the city, helping hundreds of low- to moderate-income families. One destination will be the construction of Estrella del Mercado, a 92-unit complex in the Barrio Logan neighborhood. Mercado is part of a 311,000 square foot transit-oriented, mixed-use development that will include the community’s first major grocery store. The housing commission has been an innovator in creating affordable housing close to public transportation. In fact, the agency is headquartered at the “Smart Corner” office and retail complex, a cluster of residential and commercial spaces overlooking a busy trolley line. Transportation includes a trolley and walking. Light refreshments will be provided.
*SOLD OUT*
Tour 7. Resident Ownership of Neighborhood Change: Smart Growth & Equitable Development Come Together at the Village at Market Creek
1:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Cost: $30
Check out the Village at Market Creek, a dynamic example of a community-focused redevelopment project that places a high priority on securing lasting benefits for residents. Located in the center of the Diamond Neighborhoods in southeastern San Diego, the Village at Market Creek demonstrates how continued public engagement can produce equitable and sustainable development outcomes. Local non-profit Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation (JCNI) is strengthening the area’s identity through public space, affordable housing development and community ownership of the project. Hear from JCNI project leaders, residents, and the non-profit San Francisco Parks Trust (SFPT). JCNI and SFPT—both recent recipients of EPA’s Brownfields Area-Wide Planning grants—will demonstrate how to use an area-wide planning approach to brownfields cleanup and redevelopment using specific strategies for meaningful community involvement, diverse partnerships, community investment opportunities such as community benefit agreements, first-source hiring practices and green job training, increased green space and recreational access, and improved access to job centers, affordable housing, youth centers and health care. Cost includes includes transportation and trolley/walking tour. Light refreshments will be provided.
Tour 8. Explore the Implications of a Rising San Diego Bay by Boat (Yes, Boat!)
1:30 pm – 4:00 pm
Cost: $35
The San Diego region has an enviable lifestyle and economy, both intricately connected to the vitality of our region’s 70 miles of coastline and renowned Mediterranean climate. However, our shoreline will be significantly impacted by pending climate change – challenging jurisdictions around San Diego Bay to manage critical resources such as economic and community centers, port maritime infrastructure, sensitive habitats, residential development and other key regional infrastructure such as San Diego International Airport. Join us on this exciting boat tour to explore the diverse communities and coastal resources at risk, as well as the innovative collaboration underway to proactively manage these risks from sea-level rise. Learn about the San Diego Bay Climate Adaptation Project, a stakeholder-driven process funded by The San Diego Foundation, managed by ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability, and guided by a steering committee of local governments and agencies in the region. Representatives will discuss lessons learned, adaptation strategies, and their experiences educating key stakeholders and the public about climate adaptation. This tour is sponsored in part by Hornblower Cruises and Events, The Port of San Diego, and The San Diego Foundation. Light refreshments will be provided.
*SOLD OUT*
Tour 9. Creating Community Support for Smart Growth: Efforts to Improve Food, Physical Activity Environments and Safety in Western Chula Vista
1:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Cost: $30
Western Chula Vista is a classic example of an auto-oriented, post-war suburban development which over a span of 50 years has led to public distrust of local government and poor health for residents. Visitors will see how the auto-oriented, low-rise community is being re-imagined to support physical activity through park revitalization, community-driven public art projects, and innovative public-private partnerships. Since 2005, a public-private collaboration for “Healthy Eating Active Communities”—funded by The California Endowment and Kaiser Permanente—has sought to address health inequities and environmental/social conditions through a variety of smart growth and community engagement strategies that increase local residents’ health, safety and quality of life by focusing on enhancing public safety, increasing access to healthy food and improving physical activity opportunities. See how the Healthy Eating Active Communities Project used smart growth tools, like CPTED, public art and walkability measures to transform western Chula Vista into a healthier community. Avoiding a “top down” perspective that is met with neighborhood resistance, this case study demonstrates how smart-growth solutions have emerged organically as the community has engaged to fight its childhood obesity and adult diabetes epidemics. Transportation includes a trolley and walking. Light refreshments will be provided.
Sunday, February 5
Morning Tours
*CANCELLED*
Tour 10. Public Bike Systems — Implementing with Positive Social Outcomes
8:00 am – 12:00 pm
Cost: $15
Bike share systems are being implemented around the world and are beginning to pop up in the United States. In its current incarnation, bike sharing ignores many possible opportunities and increases the challenges for any city contemplating them. Using San Diego as an example of a city that could benefit from such a system, we will examine implementation strategies that can create a sustainable transportation option and strong bicycle advocacy tool. In addition to organizing this tour, the Bike Share Group will also provide a bike-share demonstration station at the conference venue—offering bikes you can use while attending the conference to further reduce your carbon footprint. Tour transportation is by bicycle. Helmets and light refreshments will be provided.
*CANCELLED*
Tour 11. Regional Readiness for Plug-In Electric Vehicles: San Diego’s Experience
8:00 am – 12:00 pm
Cost: $33
Check out plug-in electric vehicles (PEV) and vehicle chargers while touring charging sites around San Diego County. A national leader in PEV purchases, San Diego has established a land-use and transportation planning approach for determining potential high-use public charging sites. Numerous public and home charging stations are installed throughout the region providing power to San Diego’s 1,200+ PEVs. You will get to learn about San Diego’s first all-electric car-sharing program, see a variety of plug-in electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles as well as plug-in charging sites at a regional cultural center (Balboa Park), a major shopping destination (IKEA), and a major university (San Diego State). The tour addresses building the capacity and infrastructure to enable people to purchase and use electric vehicles, as well as how a public-private partnership can succeed. Transportation includes a trolley and walking. Light refreshments will be provided.
Tour 12. Downtown San Diego Walk Audit with Walkability Guru Dan Burden
8:00 am – 12:00 pm
Cost: $15
Having worked in over 3,000 communities and led over 4,000 walking audits throughout North America, Dan Burden is both the inventor of walking audits and the “Johnny Appleseed” for spreading the virtues of walkability around the continent. In 2001, Time magazine named Dan one of the world’s six most important civic innovators. He is currently a senior urban designer and executive director of the Walkable and Livable Communities Institute, and previously co-founded Walkable Communities, Inc., and the Bicycle Federation of America. This walking audit—also known as a “walking workshop” —will explore the technique and methods of discovery by foot; trekking portions of downtown San Diego and other public realm features. The discoveries will include an interactive exploration by participants of streetscapes, urban development, urban infill, public space, parking and traffic management principles and practices. This is a walking tour, so please wear comfortable shoes and other appropriate attire. Morning coffee will be provided.
Tour 13. Breaking Ground for Food Security: New Roots, Cambodian Community and Fairmount Aqua Farms
8:30 am – 12:00 pm
Cost: $33
CM 3.5 — Experience the many economic, environmental and social benefits that a community garden can bring to underserved communities. This tour will address correcting outmoded planning regulations and examine techniques to promote community-scaled agriculture: Explore the hurdles faced by food security advocates, and best practices for overcoming those barriers. Discover opportunities for building partnerships to ensure that nutritious foods are equitably available through grassroots efforts and policy-level decisions. Check out best practices for changing government policies to improve food security at two community gardens and an aqua farm. Learn how the IRC—a local non-profit group dedicated to refugee resettlement—overcame regulatory hurdles to transform a vacant, 2.3-acre lot into San Diego’s first permitted community farm. These efforts galvanized a county-wide effort to build a healthy food system, led to recent City code amendments to facilitate more gardens and draft amendments to promote urban agriculture. We’ll visit the Fairmont Aqua Farm, an innovative community-source business that provides proteins, training and small business opportunities. We will also tour a garden that thrived for nearly 25 years until its Cambodian refugees were evicted in 2010, losing a source of subsistence, community and pride. IRC is now assisting in its restoration and permitting. Transportation includes a trolley and walking. Light refreshments will be provided.
