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Los Angeles Economic Report Offers San Diego Possible Solutions
May/June 2020
San Diego shares a variety of building types and development patterns with Los Angeles, such as bungalow courts and Mid-Century era buildings, which is why we can learn from two newly released reports.
The reports were produced by Donovan Rypkema and his firm, Place Economics, which is well-known at the national and global level for providing statistical data on the economic impacts of historic preservation.
While we don't yet have this type of important analysis for San Diego, some key insights may be applicable in Place Economics' Preservation Positive Los Angeles and 24 Reasons Historic Preservation is Good for Your Community.
 These key findings by the firm of Place Economics are relevant to San Diego. Courtesy Place Economics |
The studies found that Historic Preservation Overlay Zones (HPOZs) are composed of older, smaller, and multi-family buildings, which are more affordable than outside a HPOZ. The report also notes how historic neighborhoods are more dense than newer developments for three reasons: smaller lot size, smaller houses, and a greater variety in housing type.
Through the use of tools like an Adaptive Reuse Ordinance, which Rypkema praises as a gold standard policy for the nation, San Diego could develop a broader, practical preservation concept beyond historical designation. The report also raises alarms that bungalow courts are at risk of extinction and that only 6.2% of the Los Angeles building stock has been identified as historic or even potentially historic, across the entire city. SOHO Executive Director Bruce Coons estimates that less than 5% of San Diego is designated or eligible for designation.
This factual data and more are also compiled and discussed in 24 Reasons Historic Preservation is Good for Your Community. It draws on economic studies from around the country to demonstrate that preservation creates jobs and affordable housing, revitalizes downtowns, prevents foreclosures, helps strengthen the real estate market, supports start-ups and young businesses, and provides density on a human scale.
For more economic studies about historic preservation and its deep connections to affordable housing, check out this report, Opportunity at Risk: San Antonio's Older Housing Stock.
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