FSDA’s 2025-2026 Lecture Series

The Friends of San Diego Architecture presents inspiring lectures on architecture, design, and the built environment by speakers who stimulate thoughtful, community-centered discussions. After more than 40 years, the conversations continue.

Join Us in Celebrating FSDA’s 40th Anniversary and Our Region’s Legacy as a World Design Capital!
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San Diego’s Bicycle Challenge

Nate Blair’s Scattante Road Bike overlooking La Jolla Shores from Mt Soledad, September 2015 (Nathan Blair)

Nathan Blair, AIA
Saturday, January 17, 10:00 AM
San Diego History Center
Casa de Balboa
1649 El Prado
Balboa Park

San Diego’s growth largely took shape during the automobile era, resulting in a transportation network optimized for cars rather than people. Today, as the city seeks to expand alternative transit options, it faces the challenge of retrofitting an auto-centric grid. While San Diego has many cycling paths, lanes, and designated routes, the network remains fragmented and incomplete, which often creates conditions where bike lanes feel less safe and more difficult to navigate than riding in automobile traffic. This lack of continuity and protection directly impacts cyclist safety and discourages broader adoption.

The key question is not whether San Diego can improve its cycling network, but how it can do so while balancing existing transportation demands. With abundant sunshine, an expanding system of multi-use trails, and the rapid adoption of electric bikes, San Diego is uniquely positioned to reclaim its streets for all people and evolve into a city where bicycles complement, rather than compete with, the broader transportation ecosystem.

Getting around has always been challenging as cities have grown. The 21st-century city demands new approaches to that age-old need to safely and efficiently connect different areas of the urban landscape. Nathan Blair will offer some suggestions based on his own experiences as a cyclist and observations as an urbanist.

Nathan Blair, AIA, is a local urbanist, an architect, and an avid cyclist in San Diego.  He grew up in Colorado, went to the University of Colorado at Boulder, and received his Masters of Architecture at North Carolina State University. Nate moved to San Diego more than a decade ago and currently works for HBG Design in hospitality design. He also serves as the secretary on the board of directors for Friends of San Diego Architecture.

Friends of San Diego Architecture Image Library of the Month

Southwestern USA

Enjoy our collection of historic architecture, maps, and more in this featured Southwestern USA gallery.

FSDA News of Interest

Missed a lecture? Check out our videos: Since September 2017, FSDA has been videotaping our lectures. They have been a work in progress. If you missed one of our lectures, you now have a chance to view them here. Architect Manuel Oncina talks about Libraries: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow; Architect Hal Sadler and Modernist Keith York have a dialogue about Evolving Styles: From the Sixties; Architects Ken Baldwin and Andy Darragh discuss From Labs to Libraries; Landscape Architect Vicki Estrada revisits San Diego Design Decisions, and, Architects Kathleen McCormick and Ted Smith present An Alternative Practice. We have now added our September and October lecture videos. We would love to have your comments.

November 2019: Diane Kane – Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Irving Gill: Modern Architecture Emerges

February 2020: Glen Schmidt – Mission Valley: An Open Space Renaissance

January 2022: Panel of Speakers – San Diego-Tijuana: World Design Capital 2024

The latest video now available and one you won’t want to miss!

UC San Diego: Billions in Development

FSDA Image Library: Our image library continues to grow with new images added often, so you might want to bookmark this link. We started with the Ned Paynter Collection and have now added the Diane Kane Collection, Competitions, Exhibits, and FSDA Events. This image is from the Southern California Gallery in the Diane Kane Collection.