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A MESSAGE FROM SOHO'S EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
In a world that is constantly changing, old places provide people with a sense of being part of a continuum that is necessary for them to be psychologically and emotionally healthy. -Thomas Mayes
Our historic environment plays a vital role in our daily lives, this is a well-established fact, yet the pace of our work only quickens as we are challenged at every turn to protect the collective cultural heritage of our historic places due to the ever-growing extreme pressures of development in San Diego.
Did you know that construction and demolition waste is the largest single-stream source of refuse in the United States—said to be more than double the amount thrown into household trash bins of over 328 million residents.
And demolition isn't only ruinous for our planet, these needless demolitions, bulldoze not only the historic place, but the complexities, contradictions, and history of the greater community—all the ingredients that make cities and neighborhoods special.
Demolition of historic housing negatively impacts the affordable housing that San Diego so desperately needs, and that decision-making leaders say they want to provide.
The fact is that if a bungalow court with 10 units is zoned for 12, after demolishing the historic resource with its embodied energy, maybe three of the new 12 units will become "affordable units." This equals a loss of seven affordable units. How many "affordable units" are as affordable as the ones they replaced? Zero. The actual true cost of these naturally occurring affordable units is a loss 10 affordable units.
Additionally, the loss of cultural heritage and impact to the neighborhoods is incalculable and goes completely against the climate change needs that the city claims to care about.
SOHO works every day to protect San Diego's endangered places, restore and interpret historic sites, and promote rehabilitation and adaptive reuse to build stronger communities with the layers of rich history each neighborhood contains.
Please unite your voice with ours and if you are not already a member, please consider joining us. There is power in numbers and they are a critical tool of any advocacy organization.
When you visit our website, you can count on SOHO as a resource for information, inspiration, and community connection. Learn and gain insight with topics such as how to research your home, and Mills Act advice; peruse our Old House Resource Directory, and explore 50 years of SOHO's architectural tours, and virtual exhibits like Irving Gill: Progress & Poetry in Architecture.
And please sign up for our electronic newsletter below and follow us on Facebook where there is an active group of like-minded people to engage with, and our team does a great job pf posting interesting content.
If you are able, please consider making a donation to help sustain this important work as we continue to recover from the challenges of the pandemic. Click HERE.
Stay safe. Enjoy our website.
Bruce Coons
Executive Director
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