Why Design Matters

Michael Stepner is a professor emeritus of Architecture and Urban Design at the NewSchool of Architecture & Design and the former city of San Diego City Architect.

The city of San Diego is proposing to sell six city-owned parcels – our Civic Center — for private development. And the Prebys Foundation has funded a study managed by the Downtown San Diego Partnership to begin to answer an important underlying question related to this development.

That question is how we make this more than just a “real estate deal” and use it to create “Civic-ness” in downtown, according to architect Jennifer Luce, a member of the Mayor’s Civic Center Task Force. Luce correctly believes the Civic Center should be a place for civic celebrations, for public protest, or just a place we want to be. 

We all are impacted by the design of our communities. How we experience the shape of our cities defines how we feel, how we get about and how we decide where we want to be. But we generally do not think about how the city is designed. The design of our cities, communities and neighborhoods, and the buildings and places in them does impact our physical, mental and emotional health, and our quality of life. 

In the realm of urban planning and design, San Diego and Tijuana have been bestowed with a prestigious honor; the joint designation as the 2024 World Design Capital. This distinction not only celebrates our past achievements but also presents us with a profound opportunity to reimagine our region’s future through the multi-faceted lens of design.

In an article reflecting our selection, Mary Walshok, the distinguished retired UCSD vice chancellor and Roger Showley, veteran San Diego Union-Tribune Urban Affairs journalist, issued a compelling call to action for our community: “We need to up our game in architecture and urban design, unclog our transportation networks, and conserve our natural resources.” These words resonate with the essence of what the World Design Capital represents — a holistic commitment to elevating the conversation about the importance of design and to enhance our surroundings.

2024 also marks the 50th anniversary of the publication, “Temporary Paradise?”, the insightful study of our region by professors Donald Appleyard of UC Berkeley and Kevin Lynch of MIT, funded by the family of civic philanthropist George Marston. Their reconnaissance of the region focused on how we should be thinking about the future and about city design.

“It is not just about the physical arrangement of things to satisfy today’s needs, but it also has to do with fundamental human values and rights: justice, freedom, control, learning, access, dignity, and creativity. It is not the reproduction of environments in the image of the present order, but it is about what should and could be,” they wrote. It was a precursor to what we now term as both equity and sustainability and the design of the built environment.

Land use, design and development in San Diego has always been a topic that ignites various perspectives. For some it represents the promise of positive changes in their neighborhoods — a prospect of new housing, public facilities, increased shopping opportunities, and improved public services. However, for others, it raises concerns about heightened traffic congestion, property devaluation, increased demand on limited public resources, and the loss of “neighborhood character.”

From the founding of Mission San Diego de Alcala in 1769, planning and development has been an activity, a business, and some would say a contact sport.

The fact that this topic consistently engages our community underscores a critical truth; people deeply care about where they live. They cherish the quality of their neighborhoods and are invested in maintaining the value of their homes and the well-being of their neighborhood. The lively discussions surrounding how we address these concerns through regulations, standards, and policies are a testament to our collective commitment to shaping cities, neighborhoods, and places that are both livable and lovable.

The question of how to address the pressing need for housing has given rise to countless conversations, controversies, and confrontations. It forces us to grapple with questions about the quantity, type, location, and the design of the housing. And the role of the community in the process. Equally important is the challenge of ensuring that the endeavors truly add value to our neighborhoods. To tackle this, we’ve seen the emergence of new legislation, focused strategies, and incentives aimed at this critical need.

Whatever our perspective, we must recognize that no city or neighborhood is ever “built out.” They are continually changing and evolving. The key is to manage that change well.

However, the outcomes of our efforts often fall short of our aspirations. In our fever to prevent the approval of projects that don’t align with our visions, we have resorted to rigid rules and regulations hoping they will yield the desired built environment. Or, in order to incentivize the increase of housing, we have eliminated the guidelines and processes that many feel are critical to the quality of our neighborhoods. Unfortunately, these well-intentioned actions can sometimes inadvertently harm our communities.

The physical design of our built environment has the power to shape our urban experiences in profound ways. Yet numerical goals and standards alone can only provide a skeletal framework for development, devoid of the soul that defines a truly vibrant and welcoming cityscape.

It is here that we must consider two innovative approaches: 1. “Objective design standards” based on the policies in our community plans for both public and private projects and 2. the concept of an “urban Manifesto”– a comprehensive set of policies, a Planning Framework — that lays the groundwork for our desired outcomes. The principles proposed for the city of San Diego Centre City Revitalization project serve as a shining model worth our consideration.

As we continue on our journey as the 2024 World Design Capital let us embrace the transformational potential of design. As Socrates reminds us; “By far the greatest and most admirable form of wisdom is that needed to plan and beautify cities and human communities.” Design is a critical tool in making our cities more livable and loveable.