The power of urban design, beyond boundaries

S1: This is KPBS Midday Edition. I'm Andrew Bracken in for Jade Hindman. Ahead , we hear a conversation about the power of design to shape our lives and communities , from housing to transportation , from the quality of the air we breathe to the food we eat. How urban design impacts life in the San Diego Tijuana region. This is KPBS Midday Edition. Connecting our communities through conversation. Experts from all over the world are coming to San Diego to discuss how design policies can enhance urban life. It's all part of the World Design Policy Conference happening this Tuesday and Wednesday. Midday edition host Jade Heineman discussed the details with my Win board chair of the World Design Capital. She's also director of the Design Lab at UC San Diego. Here's that conversation.

S2:

S3: Um , we've got innovators such as Marty Cooper , the inventor of the cell phone. We have educational leaders such as Pradeep Khosla , chancellor of UC San Diego , and Michael Crowe , who's the president of Arizona State University , talking about the Innovation University. We've got designers who are legendary , such as Doctor Patricia Moore , who is the mother of universal design , Tim Brown , uh , the chair of Edo , Don Norman , who spearheaded user centered design. And then we have global leaders in design from Taiwan , Germany , the UK , the Philippines and so many more countries coming to speak and participate in the World Design Policy Conference. Wow. Impressive.

S2: Impressive. Uh , experts indeed. It sounds like , um , so , you know , the topic of conversation at this conference is Urban Design and Planning. Can you give me some examples of what that is exactly ? Sure.

S3: Well , it's actually very broad ranging , the theme of the conferences Beyond Boundaries , and we really do want to push the envelope of how people think about policy. So we're actually weaving in play. Also , it's policy and play , and we're making policy accessible to everybody. Public policy impacts our everyday lives from the quality of the food we eat , what transportation options we take and that are available to us , and the quality of the air that we breathe. Right. So it affects our our everyday lives and many people's minds.

S2: When they hear design , they think of , you know , public art. But but it's much broader than that is what you're saying. Absolutely.

S3: Absolutely. You know , we think of of design as a way of thinking , of being intentional , of designing methods in order to shape products , services , experiences and policies. So it's about shaping our everyday lives in very intentional ways. Um , we have a method called human centered design and humanity centered design. The idea that we're designing for people as well as for the planet.

S2: All right. And , you know , you've laid out so many ways in which urban design , um , can enhance our lives. You mentioned , you know , it applies to the air that we breathe , the food and the grocery store. Um , can you talk a bit about how it addresses societal issues ? Um , and can fuel systemic change ? Sure.

S3: Um , one of the topics at the conference is going to be on housing and homelessness. It's a big issue in our region as well as all across the globe. Um , we just don't have enough affordable housing , which is leading to people being unhoused. And so at this conference , what we're doing is bringing thought leaders to think about what would be alternative housing futures , what are some policies that could really change the current situation. And then we're also bringing in some design. We're actually having a design challenge to come up with solutions. So it's both policy and design and that combination to actually solve some of our most pressing issues.

S2: And are there ways in which , um , you know , poor design , for example , could , um , have the opposite effect by creating inequalities ? Absolutely.

S3: I mean , I think historically that has been what's happened. Why are we in this situation that we are currently is that we have designed our cities poorly ? You know , one example is car centric cities. We move towards cars and car dependency in the early 1900s , and that is having a dramatic impact on our climate , on the way we live , on our health. And that was poor design.

S2: Um , one thing that comes to mind when I hear you talk is environmental justice.

S3: Uh , we started off as a nation of creating zoning that was actually by race. And so , um , many of our housing and urban policies that have shaped cities today were undergirded by inequality and the and the actual intention to be exclusionary , to divide and to disenfranchise people of color. Mhm.

S2: Mhm. Well , and , you know , like you were talking about before , car dependence , I mean , when that fuels urban planning , it prioritizes freeways which split communities and , and influences the health of those communities. That's something that has happened here , Barrio Logan being one example of that.

S3: Yes , absolutely. It's happened all over the country actually. Freeways being built , um , cutting through the city center , usually in low income or minority areas and really creating this disinvestment in those areas and also leading to poor health outcomes such as pollution. Um , and this has happened in this region and in many other places across the country. Mhm.

S2: Mhm. Absolutely. Um , well , the World Design Policy Conference is really meant to improve these , these types of things and really improve collaboration between San Diego and Tijuana. Describe how design affects the cross border region.

S3: You know we have this border that's this political border , this geopolitical border. And although it's meant to divide us and make it harder for us to cross , and that is by policy design , uh , from administrations , national administrations. Um , what we're doing locally is trying to redesign that , trying to change that so that we can have , uh , more coordination , more cooperation , more economic integration despite the border. And so the borders track , uh , at the policy conference will address many of these topics. Well.

S2: Well. And during the conference this week you'll be speaking on the Beyond Innovation panel.

S3: Also thinking about how we get to a path to clean energy through , uh , promise , the promise of nuclear fusion , for example. So it's there are lots of broad topics that really are forward thinking. Uh , within this track. Wow.

S2: Wow.

S1: This is KPBS Midday edition will be back after the break. You're listening to KPBS Midday Edition. I'm Andrew Bracken in for Jade Hyneman. We continue our conversation now with my win board chair for the World Design Capital and director of UC San Diego's Design Lab.

S2:

S3: We have so many examples in this region. CBS is an incredible example of cross border design. Um , the , uh , Sentry Lane , which is the known traveler lane that allows you to actually fast track crossing the border. Um , that was developed , you know , for the San Diego Tijuana border , but has really been the inspiration for our known traveler system for flying , such as clear and TSA. And so we have incredible cross border design examples here in this region. Well , and.

S2: Your research looks specifically at policy topics related to housing , immigration and climate change.

S3: Um.

S4: Um.

S3: Um , you know , we are in a , an interesting moment in which things can change very , very quickly around these topics. Um , I think that , uh , the protections for our climate and our planet are at risk. I think that , um , the ability to create policy changes that are focused on addressing inequality and address and helping the most vulnerable in our population , those are at risk. Um , so it's hard to say , but , um , we are at a moment in which I , I'm very concerned about what will happen in the future. And , and I think that those are the types of conversations that will have at this policy conference in terms of being able to buffer what happens at the national level with local and regional policies. And that's what I'm focused on right now , is making change at home , in a place , and in a geography in which we have some control over. Yeah.

S2:

S3: Um , that is that is really what drives me and gets me up every day.

S2:

S3: And so I think that there are many ways that people can start to take a design lens to what they do and how they make decisions , And hopefully this year , of the many over 600 events and activations that we've had for the world , Design Capital has encouraged people to take a design lens to what they do.

S1: That was my win. Board chair for the World Design Capital and director of UC San Diego's Design Lab , speaking with Midday Edition host Jade Hindman. Information about registration and ticket prices for the World Design Policy Conference are available at our website , KPBS. Org. That's our show for today. I'm Andrew Bracken. KPBS Midday Edition airs on KPBS FM weekdays at noon , again at 8 p.m.. You can find past episodes at KPBS. Org or wherever you listen. Thanks again for listening. Have a great day.