Our Issues

We amplify and accelerate our partners’ work and catalyze action through three pathways to address the most persistent challenges facing the San Diego region:

Community Initiated. We are creating a platform for San Diegans to provide insight and expertise on how to solve community issues.

Partner Initiated. We collaborate with organizations to advance each other’s shared goals and objectives—each shaped by a community-informed perspective.

BCCA Initiated. We’re taking the long view. What is the future of our binational region, twenty, thirty, or more years into our future? What do we need to be a thriving global city?

Early Priorities

Balboa Park

Balboa Park stands at an important juncture. This regional gem has an estimated $300-500 million in deferred maintenance, with no plan to fund or fix it. In the coming years, up to $1 billion may be needed if we truly want a world-class Balboa Park. 

In response to this pressing need, BCCA convened Balboa Park stakeholders and conducted a national scan of governance and finance structures of other major parks.

In November 2022, we released Preparing Balboa Park for its Next 100 Years, a comprehensive report offering a range of actionable recommendations. This report synthesized existing research, stakeholder input, and an analysis of governance and financial models from other renowned parks across the country.

Since then, BCCA has collaborated with a multi-sector consortium of stakeholders and experts to move several steps closer to sustainable solutions for the Park.

In July 2024, we published the Balboa Park Community Progress Report, an update highlighting tangible actions taken and milestones met since our initial report, and outlining further actions to achieve the Park’s long-term sustainability.

Our updated report lays out a vision for improved park governance, management, and finance, recognizing the many different functions the park serves within our community, and the equally varied requirements for maximizing the value of each of those community assets.

Central to these efforts is our dedicated Balboa Park Working Group, a passionate team committed to preserving this cultural treasure for future generations. We continue to work with these dedicated people and organizations on the next steps outlined in our updated report.

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Cross-Border Region

The San Diego-Tijuana border is a vibrant hub where cultures, ideas, and industries converge, shaping the region’s identity, driving economic growth, and enriching our shared cultural fabric. From trade partnerships to familial ties, this cross-border connection is vital to our region’s diversity and vibrancy.

In 2024, BCCA partnered with the Institute for the Americas to publish the Seizing CaliBaja Nearshoring Opportunities report, featuring interactive maps that showcase key sectors—biotech, pharmaceuticals, aerospace, and medical devices—while highlighting the region’s talent, innovation, and collaborative potential. A second publication, Assessing Generic and Biosimilar Manufacturing in North America, explored opportunities for essential medicine production in Baja California and its connection to San Diego.

BCCA also proudly sponsored and supported the inaugural San Diego Tijuana International Jazz Festival, a three-day, cross-border celebration that united communities through music and underscored the power of collaboration in creating shared experiences.

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World Design Capital

The San Diego Tijuana region is currently buzzing with excitement as we proudly hold the title of World Design Capital 2024 and come together to celebrate our incredible cross-border community. BCCA is proud to be one of the five organizing partners for World Design Capital 2024 alongside Design Forward Alliance, UC San Diego Design Lab, City of San Diego and the City of Tijuana.

The WDC 2024 program invites everyone, from local designers and innovators to civic leaders and community members, to celebrate the San Diego Tijuana region. The year-long celebration is a platform to showcase our collective design achievements, foster connections through design, and inspire collaborative action to tackle our community’s challenges.

We invite you to check out these great moments from our WDC 2024 journey thus far:

  • May 2023: San Diego and Tijuana, alongside the region’s design community, government leaders, and organizing partners, celebrate their WDC Signing Ceremony to mark the start of the year-long celebration to highlight our innovative cross-border region. Read more here.
  • January 2024: In a historic first-ever collaboration, musicians from the San Diego Youth Symphony and the Sinfónica Juvenil de Tijuana came together to celebrate youth and the transformative ability of music. You can watch their breathtaking performance here: San Diego Youth Symphony and Sinfónica Juvenil de Tijuana Collaboration. They will perform at key events throughout 2024.
  • May 2024: Tijuana buzzed with creative energy as it hosted over 100 events, showcasing the talents of over 300 designers across 40 venues throughout the city. The Tijuana Design Week honored the transformative power of design and celebrated design’s capacity to foster community, enhance quality of life, and ignite fresh perspectives.
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  • September 2024: The World Design Experience powered by Design Forward Alliance and San Diego Design Week transformed the San Diego-Tijuana region with a seven-day celebration of design. From September 18th to 25th, community-led programs across both cities brought together a vibrant tapestry of events, highlighting the power of design to connect cultures, inspire innovation, and enrich communities.

Make sure to mark your calendars for these signature events of 2024:

  • WORLD DESIGN POLICY CONFERENCE POWERED BY UC SAN DIEGO DESIGN LAB & CITY OF SAN DIEGO: San Diego, California | Tue, 12 Nov 2024 - Wed, 13 Nov 2024. Join Beyond Boundaries, a two-day conference offering a global platform for exchanging insights and best practices in design-led urban policies.
  • WORLD DESIGN NETWORK OF CITIES MEETING: Tijuana, Mexico | Fri, 15 Nov 2024. Engage in the dialogue at the World Design Network of Cities Meeting, fostering collaboration among public administrators and design leaders from WDC-designated cities.
  • WORLD DESIGN CONVOCATION CEREMONY: San Diego, California | Sat, 16 Nov 2024. Witness the symbolic handover of the WDC designation from WDC San Diego Tijuana 2024 to WDC Frankfurt Rheinmain 2026, commemorating the culmination of our remarkable journey.

To learn more about these events, World Design Capital 2024, and how you can be part of this transformative experience, we invite you to visit  wdc2024.org

Opportunity and Prosperity

Almost 30% of San Diego’s children live in economic distress, and the prosperity gap within the region is obvious and unacceptable. Let’s talk about how we can do better, and then act to improve the lives of all our fellow San Diegans—regardless of geography, race, or ethnicity.

The COVID-19 pandemic has already caused the loss of more than 100,000 jobs in San Diego County, nearly half of which come from the leisure and hospitality sector . Too many families and individuals have exhausted their savings and are on the brink of disaster.

Our regional economy needs to look different now. With our partners, we’ll help organize to inspire employers and training institutions to focus on high growth, high wage industries in San Diego and create incubators to support entrepreneurs and innovators.

Housing Affordability

San Diego’s housing market has never felt so out of control. The median price of a home in San Diego County is twice the national average. More than half of renters in San Diego County are considered over-burdened by their housing costs, spending more than 30% of their income on housing. When housing costs are high, our workforce suffers, people have less money to spend on other necessities. It’s time to bring housing advocates, developers, and city planners together with those impacted by this crisis. Let’s listen to each other and develop common sense guidelines to ensure every San Diegan can actually live in San Diego.

Rebuilding Community

All across our nation, we have become a polarized people —losing community connections across ideologies, ethnicities, and even within neighborhoods. We will seek to organize a local coalition of those committed to rebuilding a sense of community that can heal and take our region forward, together.