Urban Design: Southcrest Redevelopment

Southcrest is a community in the southeast San Diego area located in between two interstates (I-805 to the east and I-5/I-15 to the west).  This community is the location of a formerly proposed government intervention to build an interstate connecting I-805 to I-5.  However, this project was defeated by the local residents of Southcrest and now the community is under a redevelopment effort by the Southeastern Economic Development Corporation and has plans of revitalizing the area with economic and physical interventions.

At the start of this quarter, each student within my studio section (12 students total) was in charge of a specific aspect of Southcrest and researching and analyzing that topic for further use.  I was given the task of analyzing the current zoning of Southcrest.  My analysis showed a few main characteristics that were most affecting the potential of the community's growth.

1.  No mix use was zoned for the area
2.  Density was very sparse as sprawled out lots were the norm of the community
3.  There was a lack of designated commercial zoning which affected the quantity of available local employment

We gathered as a studio at the midway point in this quarter and presented our findings to a panel of jurors.  After a successful critique, we divided the studio into 4 groups (3 students/group), with each group coming up with a masterplan for the redevelopment of Southcrest.

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My group recognized the following weaknesses within Southcrest that needed the most attention for redevelopment:

1.  There is a lack of dense development along arterial streets (National Ave. + 43rd St.)
2.  The existence of a strong community center is not present
3.  Initial entry into the site is lacking in a dominance factor
4.  There is poor use of the great potential that the Chollas Creek can serve for the community
5.  The public transportation system needs to be improved
6.  An abundance of local amenities is lacking

Our redevelopment plan aims to specifically enhance three main areas of Southcrest in order for the entire community to flourish as a whole.

1.  The Community Center:  This addition will provide a large scale centralized zone that offers all of the necessary amenities for Southcrest to flourish and acts as a catalyst for strong community identity.

2.  Entry Corridor:  The entry corridor to the site with a establish a strong presence when entering into the community and enhance the land where the over-engineered I-805 exit ramp once was.

3.  National Ave. + 43rd St.:  This redevelopment to Southcrest will perform as highly efficient multimodal arterial traffic ways with densified streetscapes in order to improve the job quantity in the area as well as making Southcrest a destination spot for outside residents.

Focusing on these three key areas of the community, the intended plan will provide the jobs and resources needed to increase the longevity of Southcrest and allow the community to flourish well into the future.


I took over and designed the redevelopment of National Ave. + 43rd St.  These were my plans:

-  Establish the concept of a porous city block in order to increase pedestrian activity and ciculation throughout the site while continuing to provide the necessary amenities required by the community.
-  Densify National Ave. + 43rd St. by offering mixed use development that covers most of each city block along the way
-  Improve and promote public transportation systems throughout the entire site
-  Provide multi-modal streets that offer safe travel for bicycles, pedestrians, and vehicles
-  Incorporate a new general hospital on the western end of National Ave. to provide immediate medical care to local residents
-  Incorporate more outdoor recreational areas to promote an active lifestyle for the children
-  Develop large scale dense single family housing to accommodate for new residents as well as residents removed from run down structures
-  Although alternate means of transportation will be most encouraged, ample amounts of parking along these arterial streets will be provided