Making Downtown San Diego Friendlier—and Safer

Richter: “Downtown is envisioned to be a densely populated urban environment that will have 90,000 residents at build out (current estimated population is 38,000).”

SAN DIEGO—Wayfinding signs along the streets of Downtown San Diego are the start of a campaign by Civic San Diego to make the city more walkable and welcoming to pedestrians and visitors, the organization’s assistant VP-planning Brad Richter tells GlobeSt.com. To enhance community infrastructure , encourage the walkable and bikeable growth of the area and improve accessibility for drivers, Civic San Diego recently installed more than 200 new wayfinding signs throughout the Downtown area. The line of thinking was that with its various landmarks, businesses and other attractions, there are plenty of reasons to explore Downtown San Diego; however, those unfamiliar with the neighborhood or getting around on foot or by bike have long been faced with the challenge of reaching their destination using outdated signs originally designed for drivers. The San Diego Downtown Wayfinding Signage Project was launched to replace aging signage throughout Downtown’s eight neighborhoods. The completed project includes a new comprehensive pedestrian wayfinding, vehicular wayfinding, destination signage, downtown gateway signage and kiosks with printed maps of Downtown. These maps highlight attractions, education facilities, parks, museums, historic attractions and government buildings. We spoke exclusively with Richter about the program, where the organization is heading with urbanization and walkability Downtown and how developers are getting involved. GlobeSt.com: In addition to the wayfinding signs, what will make a city like San Diego more walkable and pedestrian friendly? Richter: Civic San Diego is in the final stages of preparing the Downtown San Diego Mobility Plan , which is planned to be adopted by mid-year and is funded by the Downtown Community Parking District and SANDAG Active Transportation Grant .  This mobility plan provides pedestrians with 5.5 miles of greenways, which will enhance pedestrian activity along corridors that connect pedestrians to public parks and provide an enhanced, widened pedestrian experience along those corridors utilizing enhanced landscaping, lighting and improved design catered toward the neighborhoods where they are located. These features essentially create a linear park along these corridors. This design increases pedestrian safety by calming traffic and creating a larger buffer between pedestrians and vehicles. The mobility plan also proposes 9.3 miles of cycleways in a network throughout Downtown, which gives cyclists more options to move safely around Downtown and provide a buffer between cyclists and moving vehicles by placing a parking lane and/or vertical physical barrier between the two. The cycleways will consist of seven corridors providing a network that of streets to serve all of Downtown. Additional design elements for pedestrians include the use of continental crosswalks, corner bulb-outs to reduce the pedestrian crossing width, and pedestrian-led signals where pedestrians are provided a crossing light a second or two before the vehicular green light, all in an effort to increase the visibility and safety of pedestrians.

This wayfinding pedestrian sign at G and 3rd is part of the new San Diego Downtown Wayfinding Signage Project to replace aging signage throughout Downtown’s eight neighborhoods.

GlobeSt.com: Where do you see this trend toward urbanization and walkability heading in terms of your organization’s involvement with it? Richter: Civic San Diego is a public nonprofit organization that the City has empowered with the planning responsibilities for Downtown. Downtown is envisioned to be a densely populated urban environment that will have 90,000 residents at build out (current estimated population is 38,000). The currently adopted land-use plans and design regulations promote and require pedestrian-friendly streetscape improvements. Civic San Diego implements polices and plans that incentivize dense development through floor-area-ratio bonus programs that supports transit, which in turn supports walkability. Density also creates and supports a variety of commercial uses and entertainment that thrive in walkable environments. In addition, the regulations require active commercial uses and storefront designs that maximize transparency and encourage indoor-outdoor relationships through design. GlobeSt.com: How are developers getting involved in this trend? Richter: Developers are getting involved in this trend by building residential and mixed-use projects Downtown in response to the increased demand for a lifestyle that is inherently more walkable due to the proximity of different uses. Professionals are increasingly seeking to live, work and play in denser urban environments. As a result, up to 25% of new housing units built in the City of San Diego are being constructed Downtown, with more than 150 projects being completed in the last 15 years. Downtown has grown in population from 27,000 in 2004 to approximately 38,000 to 40,000 today, with ultimate build-out estimated at 90,000. Many residents are finding that a couple can get by with just one car, or even no private vehicles, as more and more residents can walk to shopping, entertainment and recreation. The proliferation of car-sharing services such as Car-to-Go , bike-sharing programs and other services allow residents to forego vehicles. There is also a growing awareness of the health benefits of walking (e.g., Fitbit and counting steps per day) as well as cycling. GlobeSt.com: What else should our readers know about this trend? Richter: The trend is a confluence of Millennials moving to urban centers and a growing awareness of sustainability . These sub-trends are converging to create demands for alternative forms of travel that are less carbon-intensive and healthier, safer, and more accessible. This trend will only gain momentum as the demand for city living increases and the option of single-occupancy vehicular travel is increasingly more expensive and unnecessary.