FSDA’s 2026-2027 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 for a New Series of Programs Celebrating Our Region’s Legacy as a World Design Capital!
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Balboa Park Master Plan Update – A Community Forum


Balboa Park: The California Tower as seen from the Alcazar Garden on February 21, 2026 (Robert Broms)

Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, 10:00 AM
San Diego History Center
Casa de Balboa, 1649 El Prado, Balboa Park

The city of San Diego Planning Department has embarked on an update to the 1989 Balboa Park Master Plan. This forum is a chance for the public to weigh in on what they consider the top priorities to include in the new plan. A survey, in the form of a Community Priorities Checklist, will be used to to rank the proposed projects. The results of the forum and survey will be shared with the city. The survey can be completed and submitted online by visiting the webpage here: Balboa Park Master Plan Update Project Priority Checklist September 2026; or by using the QR code:
Keynoting the forum will be Vicki Estrada, whose firm prepared the 1989 plan and follow-up specific plans, and Howard Blackson, an urban planner and member of the official Balboa Park Committee. A special guest of Blackson will be public policy strategist Andy Kopp, who will describe an idea for a ballot measure that would create a dedicated funding source for Balboa Park. FSDA’s Roger Showley and Mike Stepner will moderate the forum.
Vicki Estrada received her bachelor of science in landscape architecture at CalPoly San Luis Obispo. She is president and founder of Estrada Land Planning. Besides the Balboa Park plans, she has worked on a wide variety of planning projects and served on various boards, including the local chapter of Lambda Alpha International, Media Arts Center and the San Diego Foundation’s Opening the Outdoors action team. She is also a board member of the Balboa Park Committee of 100. Her responsibilities include running the office, land planning, urban design and landscape architecture for a variety of projects including community planning, master planned communities, infill, parks and streetscapes for public and private entities.
Howard Blackson received his bachelor of arts in geography at the University of Texas at Austin and master in urban design at University of Westminster in London. He has been a lecturer at UC San Diego, Woodbury School of Architecture and the NewSchool of Architecture & Design. He has consulted on public and private projects throughout the U.S. and around the world and worked for several firms in San Diego and elsewhere. He currently is principal and director of planning at PlaceMakers.
Andy Kopp is the founder and Executive Director of PlatformUS, based in San Diego, CA. He is U.S. Navy veteran, a former Defense Intelligence Community professional, and current public policy and strategy expert with more than two decades of experience interpreting and developing strategic and operational plans for government and civilian sector organizations.
El Prado, Plaza de Panama, and California Tower are seen circa 1989 in “Balboa Park at Dusk” (Ned Paynter)
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PLEASE NOTE:
Our FSDA programs are being presented in a new location, the San Diego History Center.
Refreshments 10:00–10:30, program 10:30–11:30
Admission to the museum is free but donations to SDHC are welcomed.
A $5 donation to FSDA is requested.
Please note the following road closure on the day of the forum:

(Photo credit: Ross Porter)
Visitors to our forum should enter the park from Park Blvd rather than Sixth Avenue and El Prado.
For current parking information see: Parking Information for Balboa Park.

Friends of San Diego Architecture Image Library – Featured Gallery

Over two decades ago, the Friends of San Diego Architecture sponsored an early effort to help develop solutions for the state’s housing shortage. In 2004, FSDA held an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Competition for California architecture and design students and professional architects and designers. There were a total of 56 entries. One goal of the competition was to convince the public that “granny flats” could be built on the average San Diego lot of 5000 sq. ft. Another goal was to offer innovative and creative designs to complement main dwellings. This rotating gallery shows some of the most intriguing entries from that competition, our Inspiring ADU Designs


You are invited to visit the full gallery of the ADU Competition entries at ADU Designs.

Friends of San Diego Architecture Video Archive

Check out our videos:   If you missed one of our lectures, you now have a chance to review the complete list here.

The Latest video now available:

May 2026: Michele Hottel, Margit Whitlock, Kristi Byers, and Liz Carmichael: The Power of Women in Architecture

 

FSDA Lectures

Explore San Diego with us during our current lecture series.Read more…

FSDA Videos

Starting in 2017, FSDA has made video recordings of many of our lectures. If you missed a lecture, you can view it here.

FSDA Image Library

Our online library features more than 10,000 images from the Ned Paynter Collection and has added many other smaller collections. View them here.