San Diego plans for urban development
April 10, 2014
SAN DIEGO – Five blocks from the touristy Gaslamp Quarter lie streets with vacant lots and cracked pavements. Though it is only April, the air swelters over the East Village’s naked asphalt, lacking the shade of trees. The official San Diego tourism website calls the East Village “blighted,” an appropriate word for the terrain. The community is changing rapidly, though – at the grassroots, private business, and government levels, San Diego is reviving the district.
Independent artist projects beautify community
The man’s solid red smartphone case hung over the lining of his pockets, falling in stark contrast to his dark, paint-splattered jeans. The tattoo on his right arm peeked out from under the sleeve of his black t-shirt spotted with the occasional fleck of color, evidence of his time in the workshop.
Urban Outfitters employee Jonathan Allen described his job as a display artist, showing Aquila reporters into his workshop.
Allen listed his sources of inspiration and the elements of his design aesthetic, expressing appreciation for vintage classics, nature, and the work of other artists.
Allen referred to a nearby community initiative in the East Village called Makers’ Quarter as a notable example of burgeoning artist development. Other artists prominent in the local scene, such as San Diegan Christopher Konecki, also contribute avidly to the surrounding area.
Konecki painted one of the murals bordering SILO, featured in the immersive image above. Artists like him involve themselves in the city’s efforts to build art communities, participating in events including the most recent “Beer & Bites” at SILO, a ground for graffiti artists to display their work.
Pieces by local artists line the fringes of the East Village:
Makers Quarter: Community digs into grassroots cultivation
According to the Maker’s Quarter website, the development defines itself as a “live/work/play neighborhood” and a “melting pot” where “creative culture brings to life a collaborative community.”
Two of the current attractions in Maker’s Quarter are SILO and Smarts Farm, which are both still under development. Both aim to bring together neighborhood San Diegans, since the East Village previously had little green space, according to resident Kelly Dembicer.
East Village architecture school tackles IDEA District
Architects and urban developers in the East Village have begun working on community projects postponed by the 2008 recession through the I.D.E.A (Innovation, Design, Education, and Arts) District, an area that includes the Makers’ Quarter but is run by the IDEA Partners.
The largest urban district of San Diego, East Village was “once blighted,” according to San Diego’s official tourism website. The urban “revival” can be largely attributed to architects’ excitement, says New School of Architecture and Design (NSAD) professor Gil Cooke.
“It’s a vital area of the city,” Cooke said. “It’s the last part of the city that is developable, and it should be done in a way that brings together the buildings with the people who are using them. It’s very exciting.”
The NSAD building faces the site of a proposed community tower with green space and a courtyard, one of several projects that the I.D.E.A Partners hopes will create 13,000 jobs and bring in $20 million in annual tax revenue for the City of San Diego.
Source: San Diego Business Journal
Plans for development have existed for about seven years, but urban development was not a major concern for the city during the economic recession. Artists and architects have returned to beautifying the city through preservation of local culture. Much of this art occurs outside galleries, instead having an active street presence.
The NSAD students complete thesis projects that often relate to community development, said architecture student Carmelita Ascencio. Recent projects include a nearby lounge for displaying and selling local art and community spaces for individuals with Down Syndrome.
Source: San Diego Business Journal
“One of the main goals even for us students is that link to the community, like thinking about open spaces,” Carmelita said. “It’s small changes that really can bring the community together and that’s what we seek for San Diego.”