We are pleased to announce the release of a major new economic analysis, The Urban Vitality Blueprint: A Data-Driven Analysis of Equity, Affordability, and Vitality in San Diego’s Historic Districts, prepared by economic development consulting firm PlaceEconomics examining the role that historic districts and older neighborhoods play in housing, affordability, sustainability, and economic vitality in San Diego.
When the City advanced the Preservation and Progress initiative without first conducting a comprehensive economic or housing analysis, historic preservation groups recognized that decisions affecting San Diego’s historic places—and the communities who live, work, and play in them—should be grounded in real data. After our request for such an analysis failed to materialize, SOHO, along with key partners Geoffrey Hueter, Laura Henson, and Mission Hills Heritage, joined by 95 other preservationists, made sure such analysis was provided, by commissioning this study. Mission Hills Heritage contributed $10,000 towards this effort.
The result is a rigorous, data-driven report that brings clarity to a debate dominated by false assumptions and misinformation from the development industry rather than evidence.
And the findings are powerful. Here are a just few highlights:
- Historic districts in San Diego are nearly twice as dense as other residential neighborhoods;
- Population grown within historic districts has occurred at more than twice the rate of the city overall in the past decade;.
- Historic districts are producing Accessory Dwelling Units at higher rates than the rest of the city;
- And older neighborhoods provide smaller homes and lower median rents than citywide averages—the very characteristics planners say they want to encourage.
These findings challenge various assumptions currently circulating in local housing policy debates. The report also confirms something preservation advocates have long understood: San Diego’s older neighborhoods provide a significant share of the city’s naturally occurring affordable housing. These are the places where moderate-income households, renters, and first-time homeowners are still able to find opportunities in an increasingly expensive region. Historic districts and older housing are San Diego’s single largest source of naturally affordable housing — and losing them would devastate the city’s affordability, equity, and climate goals.
This data-driven, rigorous report will help shape conversations about housing, climate policy, and preservation, starting with the City’s Preservation and Progress Package B.
Click here to read the full report.
We wish to thank our members for their financial support so that we could help bring this important study to fruition.
