'Tactical Urbanism' Gaining Momentum In San Diego
'Tactical Urbanism' Gaining Momentum In San Diego
GUESTSKinsee Morlan, arts and culture editor, San Diego City Beat
Ann Berchtold, founder/director, Art San Diego
Kris Michell, president/CEO, Downtown San Diego Partnership
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City leaders at a ribbon cutting ceremony for San Diego's first parklet infront of Caffé Calabria in North Park, August 2013.
Caffé Calabria Facebook Page
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Yoga Class on the flight deck of the USS Midway
downtownsandiego.org
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“Crowd Painting, Patrons” by Emily Grenader is on a billboard the corner of 10th and Broadway in Downtown San Diego.
openwallproject.com
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The city of San Diego and General Electric announced Tuesday that a program to replace 3,000 streetlamps around the downtown area with energy-efficient LED lighting is underway.
Erik Anderson
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A rendering of "The Boardroom," one of the three finalists for a city of San Diego competition to design a mobile parklet.
Downtown San Diego Partnership
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A rendering of "Contoured Curves," one of the three finalists for a city of San Diego competition to design a mobile parklet.
Downtown San Diego Partnership
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A rendering of "Urban Nook," one of the three finalists for a city of San Diego competition to design a mobile parklet.
Downtown San Diego Partnership
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A rendering of the design for Quartyard, a temporary park set up at Park and Market streets in San Diego's East Village.
Rad Lab
Leaders in San Diego have spent a lot of time and effort on proposing big development projects like the Convention Center expansion or a proposed downtown stadium. Sometimes those plans don't pan out.
As an alternative, some community advocates, artists and architects are proposing city development on a much smaller scale.
For example, the city's second parklet recently opened in University Heights and construction is underway for a temporary park downtown on the corner of Park Boulevard and Market Street.
Tiny seating areas, green spaces, and public art are part of a movement called "tactical urbanism" which aims to make a small part of a city more livable and enjoyable without it breaking the bank. Now, after years of feet-dragging, it's an idea that the city of San Diego is beginning to embrace.
But as San Diego City Beat recently reported, planners could run into some red tape to get these mini-improvement projects off the ground. That's why the Downtown San Diego Partnership, a leader in the movement, is working with city leaders to follow what other big cities have done and streamline the permitting process.
Lemon Grove Live
What: Concerts by a wide variety of street musicians
When: Saturday, October 25, 5:00pm - 7:00pm
Where: Lemon Grove Main Street Promenade
Free
