Protect & Enrich Every Neighborhood

San Diego is an extraordinary place to live, and every San Diegan should have access to a safe and secure environment, along with a variety of core amenities that improve quality of life.

Our Focus
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To make every neighborhood a priority, we envision:

  • San Diegans in all communities are connected to neighborhood assets that anchor community life, foster interaction, and promote well-being.
  • Every San Diegan has access to arts and culture opportunities on their own terms. Visitors are able to discover and experience local culture.
  • San Diegans benefit from accessible, convenient, safe, and comfortable recreational spaces in their communities.
  • San Diegans have equitable access to a network of libraries, including robust digital services and programming, that are tailored to local needs and interests.
  • San Diegans benefit from public safety services that encompass the diverse needs of residents and communities.

The City has developed specific strategies to bring these outcomes to life, each summarized below.

Serving every neighborhood means we are prioritizing investment in communities with the greatest need and ensuring amenities are geographically distributed throughout the city so everyone can access them easily. We are strategically placing artwork, digital resources, and recreational amenities in locations that have historically been underserved.

  • Ensure amenities are geographically distributed, serving all of San Diego’s diverse communities.
  • Install artwork in historically underserved communities and ensure equal access to public art across communities.
  • Prioritize citywide investments in park-deficient communities.
  • Provide equitable access to digital resources across all communities.

San Diego Snapshot:
Proximity to Recreational Areas

Source: City of San Diego 2021 Climate Equity Index scores: sandiego.gov/climateequity

Welcoming spaces are essential to serving every neighborhood, with opportunities to gather in areas that have meaningful connections to culture, history, people, and place. We are intentionally creating indoor and outdoor areas in our libraries, parks, museums, and more that invite social connection, shared culture, and memorable experiences for all.

  • Encourage long-term stewardship through ‘friends’ groups, education, citizen science, and research/restoration projects.
  • Provide opportunities for culturally specific experiences.
  • Commission artwork that is visually distinctive and reflective of the identity where the artwork is installed.
  • Promote parks as places where people can foster social connections, build community, and enhance well-being.
  • Ensure all communities can utilize library spaces for programs, meetings, and events.
  • Expand access to cultural heritage and historic collections.
  • Promote and position libraries as cultural centers for exhibits and events.
  • Incorporate Arts & Culture into the Parks development process.

San Diego Snapshot:
Civic Art Collections Map

Source: City of San Diego Commission for Arts & Culture

The City’s strategic plan outlines a variety of steps to support positive experiences in public spaces to create value for patrons and visitors. As part of our focus to serve every neighborhood, we are taking steps to reduce barriers for participation, provide high-quality programming, and increase access to amenities.

  • Create additional value for visitors and patrons through improved resource coordination and collaboration.
  • Increase access to recreational amenities.
  • Create welcoming, convenient library spaces for patrons to sit, work, read, collaborate, and use technology.
  • Provide access to high-quality programming, events, and shared activities.
  • Address and reduce barriers of entry for public artists and associated public artwork.

San Diego Snapshot:
Neighborhood Amenities

Source: City of San Diego

Ensuring the safety of all our citizens is a crucial component of how we aim to serve every neighborhood, and we plan on taking into account the unique needs, values, and concerns of each community. Additionally, we are promoting a public safety workforce that is representative of San Diego’s diversity in race, culture, values, and life experience.

  • Analyze and balance the need for the deployment of public safety personnel based on the nature of calls for service, including criminal vs. non-criminal activity, response times, and community need.
  • Identify and implement additional steps to eliminate racial bias in policing.
  • Achieve and promote a public safety workforce representative of San Diego’s diversity in race, culture, values, genders, language, and life experience.
  • Invest in and implement community-based practices that encourage community engagement in managing public safety.
  • Identify additional steps to increase accountability, transparency, and oversight of the police department.

Track Our Progress

Source: City of San Diego FY22 Adopted Budget