Urbanization and Environmental Conservation with Andrew Spurlock

The Finest City

This week, we welcome former C-3 board member Andrew Spurlock. Andy first talks about his move to San Diego in 1975 to jumpstart his career in landscape architecture, after he read Temporary Paradise and was inspired by its vision. Andy talks about a few of the important changes he’s seen in San Diego in over four decades, and how C-3 can look forward to the future and effectively protect our region’s open space with limited funding. Andy also discusses how C-3’s humanizing perspective can help shape public opinion, why funding constraints for infrastructure are still an issue today, and what we can do about it.

Timestamps:

[5:06] Andy gives a recap of his career history and where his interest in landscape architecture originated. He also shares how his interest in design originated from watching his grandfather draw.

[10:49] How did reading Temporary Paradise inspire Andy, and how did this vision differ from his planning experience in Cleveland?

[12:10] One of the things that interested Andy in urban design was helping cities, and therefore helping people and the environment.

[13:12] Andy discusses growth management and how it laid the foundation for successful planning and design themes for the next 50 years.

[17:56] Why does San Diego feel the pinch of property tax increases? Why was it harder for San Diego to absorb than other cities?

[27:01] Who was leading the conversations at the time in the 1980s, and to what extent was the public aware of that exchange?

[31:24] How do landscape architects typically view open space preservation?

[45:57] Is it possible to recreate an ecology or ecosystem within a region that is balanced with the infrastructure of transportation and communication that also supports communities in a sustainable way?

[52:38] Andy talks about balancing canyon habitat in relations to communities, and how the Parks and Rec Masterplan got it right and wrong.

[56:47] What was the purpose of the “Toward a Permanent Paradise” document that Andy helped to produce in the late 1990s?

[1:11:07] Why does San Diego’s philanthropic community have trouble getting behind major projects in San Diego?

[1:21:00] What challenges will the next generation of architects and planners and activists face in San Diego?

About C-3

In its 60 years of existence, Citizens Coordinate for Century 3 (C-3) has brought together local thought leaders from planning, design, policy, academia, community development, and more to address our region’s distinctive and pressing land use challenges. In founding C-3 almost 60 years ago, architect Lloyd Ruocco’s vision was to bring together our region’s most creative minds from the arts, sciences, academia, and government to share ideas, learn new perspectives, and build fellowship around the idea of creating livable communities.

Opportunities for Advocacy and Engagement:

C3sandiego.org

Temporary Paradise