SAN DIEGO—Urban Land Institute's San Diego-Tijuana District Council is celebrating the signing of an agreement that will take the organization one step further in its efforts to catalyze cross-border collaboration for land planning. On February 22, the district council's executive director Mary Lydon and Consejo de Desarrollo Economico de Tijuana director David Moreno signed a contract for a downtownTijuana Technical Assistance Panel (TAP), to be coordinated and executed by ULI representatives.
TAP programs are comprised of experts from ULI's local District Council in various fields that focus on a real estate or land use issue facing a San Diego region community. Panelists provide creative recommendations for solutions that advance innovative land planning principles. TAP chair Greg Shannon of Sedona Pacific led the effort to form this agreement and will assemble the TAP panel of experts.
In Mid-March, the panel will travel to downtown Tijuana to meet with city representatives andstakeholders and to tour the study area. The plan will focus on revitalizing the downtown area, or Zona Centro, which has declined dramatically since the loss of American tourists following 9/11 and the drug cartel violence, as well as the hurdle of re-entry delays at the border. The panel will subsequentlydiscuss and formulate ways in which the City of Tijuana can stimulate redevelopment through public, public/private and private development.
In addition to Shannon, other leaders of ULI's binational committee include Gabriel Garzo of Loponti Holdings, Alejandra Zazueto of Atelier Urbano and Paul Marra of Keyser Marston. David Mayagoitia, chair of Tijuana's Economic Development Corporation (DEITAC), was also instrumental in forming the TAP agreement.
ULI's announcement comes amid renewed collaboration efforts between the two cities. Also this month, City of San Diego Mayor Filner and City of Tijuana Mayor Bustamonte announced the opening of the first City of San Diego office at DEITAC, to be staffed by Mario Lopez, a member of the ULI San Diego-Tijuana bi-national committee. Additionally, both mayors are considering a joint bid between San Diego and Tijuana to host the 2024 Summer Olympic Games.
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David Phillips
David Phillips is a Chicago-based freelance writer and consultant with more than 20 years experience in business and community news. He also has extensive reporting experience in the food manufacturing industry for national trade publications.
