North Park, San Diego

Community climate resilience is a community’s ability to thrive and maintain a healthy functioning structure in the midst of a global climate crisis. It entails these communities having resources to combat their vulnerabilities and developing strategies to adapt to a changing environment. Community resilience is extremely important while the planet is warming up and new phenomena such as extreme heat, unpredictable weather, and famine are becoming more common. If communities didn’t have strategies for adaptation, they would succumb to these impacts of climate change and thus be extremely vulnerable. These vulnerabilities would lead to sick and unhealthy people, weak support systems, and fragile structures that would inevitably lead to injustices and inequities.

Our group explored the San Diego neighborhood North Park, which is most likely vulnerable to water scarcity and extreme heat in the face of climate change. North Park isn’t located along the coast so it isn’t susceptible to sea level rise and flooding, but being located in San Diego which lies on the coast, these weather patterns could also cause city-wide concern. North Park exhibits a large reliance on local businesses—especially ones focused on gastronomy— so climate change’s impact on food production and distribution could definitely create large problems for the economic and social sectors of the neighborhood.

Our group chose to do preliminary data gathering by navigating the North Park neighborhood ourselves, ensuring that the information we learned and collected was not misinterpreted and more understandable from the viewpoint of someone actually living in the neighborhood. We explored North Park by foot and took down observations about categories which were outlined on our original data-gathering sheet provided in class. These categories included visible green space, infrastructure, accessibility, walkability, cleanliness, and businesses to name a few. During our group's two visits to the neighborhood, we also spoke with various community members such as people simply walking on the street, a librarian, mobile healthcare workers, community center leaders, and business owners. Speaking with these people offered great first-hand insight to percieved community atmosphere, access to recources and support, opinions on strengths and weaknesses of the neighborhood, and more.

In building our storymap, we conducted research online to gather certain concrete information about North Park that residents wouldn't necessarily know. This included precise history, exact demographic breakdowns, Healthy Places and Climate Equity indexes, as well as maps. Gathering information from the Healthy Places and Climate Equity indexes provided important information which supported data we had gathered through observation and conversations.

The land North Park is currently on was bought by James Monroe Hartley in 1893. Originally it was supposed to be used as a lemon grove but the lack of irrigation caused the project to fail after a while. But this led to the creation of the first San Diego real estate firm in 1905 by Hartley’s oldest son Jack. He and his brother and law then went on to further develop the area into a commercial and residential district in 1911. The topography of North Park is extremely flat, and is currently a thriving residential neighborhood in addition to having a commercial center.

At the turn of the Great Depression, the United States government encouraged single family homeownership. These efforts were spearheaded by a federal agency known as the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC), which ranked cities throughout the nation based on investment potential for white residents. These rankings were determined by color and given a grade of A, B, C or D. With A being the “Best” grade a city could attain while being highlighted in green and D being deemed the “Hazardous” zones in red. The HOLC stated that providing loans to people in red zones were poor investments. This is the concept behind redlining and it was not a coincidence that zones labeled as hazardous were mostly neighborhoods with people of color. Redlining was a discriminatory practice.

The images provided below were taken from a digitized report created by The Local Initiatives Support Corporation of San Diego (LISC) and the collective action of nonprofit organizations titled the “Mapping Inequality: Redlining in New Deal America San Diego.” These images are snapshots of how redlining and area grade rankings were like in San Diego during the 1930s.

Within the report, North Park had received three separate grades, A, B, and C. The statements attached to each image include statements made by the HOLC. These higher rankings indicate that North Park was meant to be an area to encourage white investors to maximize the home loans provided by the HOLC in order to live there.

Striking statements from the images above:

• “There is a good class of residents in this area and there is no threat of foreign infiltration, and no racial concentration.”
• “Residents mostly white with some Mexican families, although no racial concentration of any of this latter element.”

When analyzing the resilience within a community, it is important to note that while some conclusions are stated from a holistic perspective, there are instances where the living experience may vary even within the same city. These disparities are necessary to acknowledge because unifying a community requires understanding the demographics of the people living there. The above mapping tools give a visual indication of some of these differences.

North Park is home to a majority  White , educated crowd with a median age of  35 . The rest of the population is 28% Hispanic, 7% African American, 5% Asian, and 4% two or more races ( Niche, 2022 ). In this neighborhood, 74 % of the population are homeowners, compared to San Diego's overall average of 71% across the city. The median household income is $76,000, which is a bit lower than San Diego's median income of $83,000.

Having used the above mapping tools as a guide, the following community profile data was measured relative to other communities within San Diego County. On average, the residents living within North Park come from a higher socioeconomic status. Many of them have pursued higher education beyond high school. In terms of housing, most parts of the region are indicated to have been historically redlined and some areas have a higher cost burden than others. North Park consists of a predominantly white community contributing to the overall population with a range from 25% to 68% depending on location. Following is the hispanic or latino population with a range of 20% to 49% and the African American, Asian, and Mixed Race populations contributing to less than 10% overall. Lastly, access to healthcare and insured adults disparities vary within the region with a split between some areas being more vulnerable than others.

What really fosters resilience is having a community. Community can be found in many different things such as events places, etc. This can include concerts, farmer’s markets, shops, etc. North Park has many features like this that build its community.

Queen Bee’s, an arts and cultural center in the heart of North Park, was established in 2008 by Alma Rodriguez, the Queen Bee herself. Rodriguez, originally from Puerto Rico, dreamt of the concept of Queen Bee’s for more than 20 years. She is part of the Board of Directors for North Park, working to “enhance community” through providing access to arts and culture for all to enjoy. The community center’s goal is to provide local artists with a space to perform and showcase their work, with a main focus on inclusivity for all people.

Inside Queen Bee’s an impressive dance floor can host hundreds of guests, and state-of-the-art sound systems bring concerts to life. The venue hosts multitudes of performances, and provides an ambiance that is welcoming to all. The center also contains recording booths, dance studios, and open space for any event or party. Queen Bee’s prides itself on giving back to the community in several ways, including donating large amounts of its income to the community. The center focuses on empowering youth through activities and a space to be creative, as well as by donating money to foster children, youth homeless programs, and other local youth organizations.  

The COVID-19 pandemic hit Queen Bee’s especially hard due to its emphasis on community gathering and in-person events. Alma was approached by several buyers interested in purchasing the extensive lot and building in which the cultural center operates, but Alma declined due to her faith in the community and the arts. Despite financial struggles, Queen Bee’s survived the pandemic and even hosted several virtual programs to aid the community in times of isolation.

Established in 1928, the North Park Recreation Center is one of the oldest community centers in San Diego. It is part of a city-wide network funded by the city of San Diego whose mission is to provide healthy, sustainable, and enriching environments for all by connecting all the citizens of San Diego to the city’s network of parks and centers for enrichment. The North Park location offers after-school intramural sports programs including youth basketball, soccer, and volleyball, in addition to adult leagues. Arts and education programs are also available, such as cooking and ceramic classes for both families and adults. North Park Recreation is also connected with the nearby middle and high school to provide community activities and seminars for at-risk youth through the Teen Center. The Teen Center provides weekly resume and cover letter workshops, arts and crafts programs, as well as weekend movie nights.

Every Thursday, North Park hosts a farmer's market. This is a great place for the community to gather and socialize while getting fresh food. It is located on North Park Way between Ray St. and Granada Ave. There are over 50 vendors and it operates from 3 to 7:30 pm.

Local businesses in North Park give off a bright, hipster vibe, which can also be described as gentrified. While these cute cafes, vintage shops, breweries, and specialty gift shops are exciting to peruse through, especially those centrally located off of University Ave., many of these businesses flaunt high prices that make them more of a luxury than an affordable, everyday stop before home. The upside of this is that a majority of the businesses seemed to be locally owned. Some local businesses that have been around for more than 15 years are sustained amidst increasing rent due to being local’s favorite nostalgic places to go. Along with a farmer’s market every Thursday morning hosted by one of the local businesses, North Park hosts a plethora of retail opportunities that draws outside visitors in while also catering to the above-average household income that residents of the area hold.

One popular small business is Lucky’s Golden Phenix, owned by Lucky, which first opened its doors 40 years ago. This humble breakfast diner serves meals for only $6-$7, all made by Lucky himself. Lucky has stated that he’s seen Northpark’s rise from a small to a booming neighborhood over the span of 60 years, but has been able to keep its low prices with support from its devoted customers.  

This venue in North Park was opened in 1929 and has been a staple of the community ever since. It is a smaller but pretty popular venue in the San Diego area. It has been through different phases but it is currently a concert venue. Before 2005, it used to be a popular movie house. Then it started being used for thetarical productions, concerts, and symphonies. Then in 2015 when it was bought buy new owners, the seats were taken out to bee more of a live music venue (mainly pop, indie, and rock artists).

In our preliminary trip to North Park, we noticed numerous structural features that were innovative as points of positive engagement, as well as other elements in which improvement might be necessary. According to  Walk Score , North Park's walkability ranks “very walkable,” with a score of 86. This is made possible by a reliable network of sidewalks which hug every one of the neighborhood streets. Most errands can be achieved on foot, which is excellent for reducing the need for personal automobiles. North Park’s transit score is 51, which means there are many nearby public transportation options, including the seven bus lines which cross through it. The neighborhood also has several bike lanes on busier streets, giving it a bike score of 64.

The North Park Family Health Center is one of the largest public health centers in the city of San Diego. They offer full-spectrum healthcare, including Primary Care, Transgender Healthcare, Family Planning, HIV and Heptatitis services, Older Adult care, Mental Health Services, and Substance Use and Disorder Services.

Family Health Centers of San Diego's Syringe Service Program is the city's only syringe exchange program. Operating out of a mobile clinic, the program offers harm reduction education, referrels to drug management and detoxification programs, one-for-one syringe exchange, as well as medications, such as Nalaxone, and test strips that are essential for preventing fatal opioid overdoses.

Due to its location and lack of adequate resources to combat heat, North Park is vulnerable to water scarcity and extreme temperatures in the face of climate change. The neighborhood only has one large green space— North Park Community Park— and two steep canyons which are on the very outskirts and aren’t very easily accessible for people to enjoy. This lack of green space presents a threat to those with dogs who can’t easily bring them to a park, as well as a threat to people who feel the burden of heat radiating off of the omnipresent concrete.

In recent decades, the North Park neighborhood has experienced a moderate amount of gentrification. According to the Anti-Gentrification Project, the primary culprit of North Park's gentrification is the CityMark Development firm. CityMark is known for its construction of towering, glass and steel apartment buildings where historic districts once stood. The City of San Diego requires that all developers of multi-family units designate at least 10% of residences for affordable housing. Rather than including affordable housing in their floorplans, CityMark has opted to pay the penalty fee, which is approximately $10.82 per square foot for ten or more units.

Speaking with a woman who owns a recording studio located inside Queen Bee’s arts and cultural center, we learned that many long-time North Park residents have felt the effects of gentrification and rising costs of living. This woman has lived in North Park for 17 years, and explained that her rent has increased dramatically, as well as the fact that raising her teenage children has become much more expensive due to the cost of after school programs and expensive local food among other factors.

In Contrast, residents new to North Park suggest that they are satisfied with the rent prices in the area. We spoke to one woman named Holly on the corner of Grim and North Park Way who moved to the neighborhood just over a year ago. When asked about the cost of living, Holly said that prices were great. Her and her partner pay $2,000 per month for a two-bedroom. Considering that this is approximately $1,000 less than the same square footage in La Jolla, it is understandable why this new North Park resident felt comfortable with what she was spending.

With North Park's exceptional walkability comes a downside. The continuous sidewalks and bike lanes that line the street grid adds up to an extensive amount of pavement. The excess asphalt combined with little to no tree canopy contributes to the neighborhood's heat island effect.

 Tree San Diego  is a local non-profit that works alongside community partners to increase the quality and density of San Diego's urban forest through tree planting and care, benefits assessment, reforestation planning, and community education. They also offer a  Tree Steward Certification Program  open to individuals of all ages interested in learning more about the benefits of urban reforestation as well as tree care.

Collaboration with  San Diego Community Garden Network  can help North Park community leaders and residents expand neighborhood green space while also providing nutritional fruits and vegetables.  The SDCG Network  helps local neighborhoods create, grow, and support community gardens that enhance food security, eliminate hunger, support social and economic justice, provide health through nutrition, reduce crime, promote education, and support sustainable communities overall. Since the Network's founding in 2010, 60 additional community gardens have been created across San Diego.

Gentrification is a complicated issue, and thus requires complex solutions. Here are some policy intiatives inspired by housing advocates in  Boston  that may help prevent displacement of long-term North Park residents by developers:

Prohibit large-scale luxury developers: High-cost housing development is the number one cause of displacement among long-time residences. The city can block corporate developers, such as CityMark, by only allowing small to medium-scale development.

Stabilization Voucher: Many housing advocates have been urging the federal government to provide a new form of housing voucher to long-term residents in low-income neighborhoods

Protect Senior Home Owners: Low-income senior homeowners are often targets by high-cost developers. Seniors are frequently forced to sell to these developers because they can no longer keep up with maintenance and rising property taxes. San Diego needs to protect vulnerable seniors by providing funding for house maintenance and a property tax freeze for these long term residents.

Ban Penalty Option on Affordable Housing Requirements: The in-lieu of fine should not be an option for high-cost developers who fail to incorporate a substantial number of affordable housing units in their floorplans. Residents can advocate for the city to allocate construction permits only if affordable housing is guaranteed.

Around for little over 100 years, North Park is a thriving self-proclaimed 'hipster' district just North of downtown. Residents find community recources to be uplifting and supportive of the diverse amosphere and people, and various institutions exist to uplift the community and provide a sense of belonging and safety. Despite this, increasing rent and prices of living are slowly gentrifying the neighborhood, making it more difficult for people from every socioeconomic class to continue living there. In addition, increasing effects of climate change present threats to the neighborhood, in which conrete infrastructure and the lack of green space and shade makes it ill-equipped to deal with extreme heat and water scarcity.

North Park's progress and popularity makes it a haven and beloved community-oriented neighborhood, but necessary changes (as listed in our recommendations) must take place in to building resilience to a changing climate and a changing world.