Urban Dialogues brought together, a group of urban designers and mobility experts from the Netherlands, Mexico, and the United States to discuss the mobility and housing challenges the San Diego-Tijuana regions face. The outcomes of this workshop were presented to World Design Capital 2024 board chair Mai Nguyen.

Urban Dialogues, an official community event of the World Design Capital 2024, is an initiative of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the United States. The Netherlands, just like many parts of the US and Mexico, is dealing with rapid urbanization, and the consequences for the environment, food security, and mobility. Together they zoomed into the fabric of the cities to find innovative solutions.

Participants came from all sides of the border and included the University of San Diego, City of Tijuana, the Dutch government, and various local and international designers and enterprises.

Housing and mobility

On the topic of circular neighborhoods they discussed affordable and sustainable neighborhoods. Recommendations were:

• Use World Design Capital 2024 to continue the discussion.
• Create a collaboration office between San Diego and Tijuana to tackle common issues.
• Make existing solutions with digital twins cross border to collect and share data on both sides.
• Start small to collect data in order to retrofit; use universities for innovation and scaling up
• Define circularity and educate the public about it, including the long-term economic benefits to developers.

Sustainable mobility discussion focused on making zero carbon transportation systems accessible for all. Recommendations were:

• Informed decision making requires availability of data; adequate communication of data to decision makers and the public; political will.
• Equity: it has a different meaning to different people, e.g. providing for the most vulnerable; equity in transportation requires a systemic approach.
• Implementation and scaling: start with pilots; learn lessons from bottom-up solutions; scaling is never easy, so it requires stamina.

Follow-up includes a deeper study into the outcomes of the workshop, and an activity plan for continued exchange between the participating experts.

“We are thrilled to officially announce our year-long program of events and initiatives that have been created and led by community members from the San Diego Tijuana region, and are a reflection of the creative passion that exists here in the community,” said Mai Nguyen, Board Chair of WDC 2024 and Director of UC San Diego Design Lab. “WDC 2024 was made possible due to our passionate cross-border design community. Throughout the year, we will be supporting and presenting design-driven events that align with our mission to transform and elevate our region.”

Consul General of the Netherlands, Dirk Janssen: “One thing that our countries have in common is that more than 80% of our citizens live in cities. And in those cities we face comparable challenges related to climate change, health and mobility. We are grateful to have had this thorough discussion with experts from the US, Mexico and the Netherlands and the outcomes help us all to find answers to these challenges. Together we can build stronger, more resilient, and sustainable urban communities.

Background

The world is becoming increasingly urbanized. Today, some 55 percent of the world’s population – 4.2 billion people – lives in cities. By 2050, this percentage could rise to 70 percent. Currently, 83 percent of the population of the United States lives in cities. In the Netherlands 93 percent lives in cities. This percentage is expected to be even higher in the coming decades.

Urban Dialogues brings together Dutch and American experts from various sectors, including the public and private sectors, academic institutions, and other stakeholders, using an innovative workshop format. The primary aim of these dialogues is to closely examine the dynamics of cities with a focus on fostering prosperity, promoting social inclusion, and strengthening resilience and environmental sustainability. Following each session, an activity plan is collaboratively developed with both American and Dutch partners.

Earlier editions of Urban Dialogues took place in Baltimore and Detroit.