The Civic Center – A Vibrant Vision for Downtown

In May, the Downtown San Diego Partnership and the Prebys Foundation unveiled a new vision for the Community Concourse developed in collaboration with the nationally recognized urban planning firm U3 Advisors and more than 20 local organizations.

Betsy Brennan, President and CEO of the Downtown San Diego Partnership, laments that “for too long, San Diego’s Civic Center has not lived up to its potential as a dynamic public space.” The Community Concourse, as San Diego’s new civic center was named, was built in the 1960’s and its diverse mix of uses, city hall, civic theater, convention center, and public plaza, was envisioned as the key to the revitalization of downtown San Diego. It did not quite work as planned and almost since the time it opened there have been proposals to “fix” it.

As Brennan explains the goal: “Today we take what we have learned through months of stakeholder outreach, the previous work of the City of San Diego, and the historical interest in what is possible for this space, as momentum to turn the page. Together we are inviting the community to imagine a connected, vibrant heart of downtown that will serve as an economic and cultural catalyst for the entire region.”

The Coalition envisions creating a “fresh and relevant space rooted in design and function truly tailored for the location.” The hope is that when people have more ability to gather, linger, and live, that will create a Civic Center that even more San Diegans can enjoy and “hopefully fall in love with one visit at a time.”

Our speakers will discuss the Civic Center Vision and how to make the Vision happen. And, they will outline how this can be the catalyst to other improvements in the public realm, including connecting to Balboa Park and the adjacent neighborhoods.

Betsy Brennan is the President & CEO of the Downtown San Diego Partnership, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the economic prosperity and cultural vitality of Downtown’s urban neighborhoods. Brennan leads the organization’s staff of more than 100 to provide a broad spectrum of services to benefit Downtown. These include providing a quality membership program to more than 300 individuals and stakeholder organizations, conducting successful advocacy in service of the organization’s mission, telling the story of the market as an ideal place for investment and growth, and providing excellent enhanced services to make 275 blocks of Downtown more clean and safe.

Since 2018, Brennan has brought her background in leadership at the City of San Diego, community-serving nonprofits, and educational institutions to the benefit and growth of the organization, helping it gain new relevancy as a critical piece of the bright future of the San Diego region. Brennan earned her Juris Doctor, with a specialization in land use, at the University of San Diego (2003) and serves on the Board of Directors for several organizations in San Diego County as well as the board for the International Downtown Association. In 2022 she was recognized as CEO of the Year by the San Diego Business Journal.

Michael J. Stepner, FAIA, FAICP, is Professor Emeritus of the New School of Architecture and Design. He is the recipient of the 2024 AIA San Diego Lifetime Achievement Award. For five decades, Mike has been a passionate advocate for quality design and urban planning, with a focus on enhancing the urban experience. A firm believer that cities should serve the people, he has pioneered guidelines for streets, sidewalk cafes, and public spaces within urban environments.