The Trace: San Diego

Abstract

Three overlapping systems exist within the context of the East Village site: The Geologic Setting is the most fundamental of systems San Diego sits atop the seam of two vast tectonic plates, the jagged movements of which have created the broken line of faults that lie beneath East Village. The Urban Framework was established unaware of the forces below. William Heath Davis and Alonzo Horton laid out the orthogonal grid of New Town San Diego in the latter half of the 19th century. It survives intact. Though such a grid of streets and blocks is a boon to city growth and flexible development, in some places its pattern is at odds with the geologic faults beneath it. One of these places is East Village. The Temporal Order is the ever-changing pattern of human inhabitants, their structures, and their activities, all of which fill the gridiron and make it their own. "The Market" is the expression of this pattern in the here and now. The time is ripe for human activity to re-inhabit East Village more fully, and change it once again to suite its needs. Not an obstacle, but an opportunity Yes, the geologic faults must be heeded in regards to future development. In some places streets and blocks cannot be used in the way that was originally intended. However, this does not mean a loss of utility. Instead, the trace of the faults becomes a framework upon which to build a system of open spaces. These open spaces, when designed correctly and surrounded with the proper uses, can be a catalyst to the revitalization of East Village.