SAN DIEGO—Waterfront real estate, ocean views, a modern skyline and a diverse group of industries are just a few of the reasons why Downtown San Diego has a lot to offer, Bosa Development's director of sales and marketing Bemi Jauhal tells GlobeSt.com. As the firm, one of the most-active real estate developers in Downtown San Diego with several projects in the works, prepares for “RETHINK Downtown: Behind San Diego's Skyline,” an interactive, experience-based exhibition and speaker series this summer, we spoke exclusively with Jauhal to find out more about the project, how San Diego fits in with the nationwide urbanism trend and the company's condo-naming contest.

GlobeSt.com: Please explain what your Downtown exhibition and speaker series is and what you hope to accomplish with it.

Jauhal: San Diego has always been a city of great interest to us, ever since we began purchasing land in Spring 1998. As we began to re-enter the market after our last project in 2009, we learned how much Downtown San Diego has evolved and were excited to hear about, and be a part of, its dynamic future. The exhibition is our way of educating locals and visitors alike about the area's evolution and its dynamic future.

The exhibition is about Downtown San Diego—where it was, where it is and where it is going. It is a must-see attraction for locals, international visitors, the real estate industry, businesspeople, art lovers, architecture buffs and students. As an interactive, experience-based exhibition, RETHINK Downtown will cover the gamut, including San Diego history, current and future trends of Downtown San Diego, the national urbanism movement and how Downtown San Diego is a prime example of the trend—and an explanation of how architecture is changing the downtown experience.

GlobeSt.com: Where do you believe the urbanism trend is going, and how does San Diego fit in with that movement?

Jauhal: There is a movement toward urbanization nationwide—more than half of the world's population lives in cities—and San Diego is a part of that growing movement in Southern California, a traditionally suburban culture. Of course, the movement is centered in Downtown San Diego; however, we are seeing the extension to regional areas with direct access to Downtown San Diego via public transportation.

By sponsoring this exhibition, we hope to get the public—locally, regionally and nationally—re-engaged and to show them the exciting changes that are taking place in Downtown San Diego. Change is dynamic, and that creates excitement, interest and drives the economy. San Diego has come a long way and has a lot to offer now and in the future. Many may think of or experience San Diego as a vacation spot, but soon will understand that it's more than a place to soak up some sun and indulge in a coastal resort lifestyle—it's a global destination in which to live, work and play.

GlobeSt.com: How do you envision the future of the San Diego waterfront?

Jauhal: As the domestic and international population of educated working professionals continues to expand and gravitate toward an urban live, work and play environment, the demand for high-quality, innovative living spaces continues to grow in San Diego. The marketplace is robust and rich with opportunity for growth over the coming decades.

The proliferation of globalization parallels urbanization, with California being the most urban in the US. With California's tech hubs, San Diego's proximity to Mexico and the increase in Asian/Pacific Islander investments and migration to the US, as well as continued interest in urban waterfront destinations, we see San Diego as the continued bellwether for American migration patterns. They can be empty-nesters, aspirational Millennials and second- or third-home buyers.

Downtown San Diego offers waterfront real estate, exceptional restaurants and entertainment and a truly unbeatable quality of life. The ocean views and modern skyline constitute urban waterfront living at its finest. San Diego also plays host to a diverse group of industries, from high-tech start-ups and business accelerations to hosting international and national conventions, professional sports teams and cultural opportunities like a night out at the opera.

San Diego's Downtown has come into its own as a global destination, and it's one of the reasons we want to collaborate with the community on a vision for San Diego's future. These are the very themes we'll be exploring in the RETHINK Downtown exhibition.

We have several sites being discussed and planned in San Diego, and we intend to develop them all, but for now the Pacific + Broadway building is our main focus because it will bring an unprecedented level of architecture and design to the area, putting Downtown on the world map.

GlobeSt.com: Why are you holding a contest to name your newest luxury-condo project?

Jauhal: Urbanism can be viewed as isolating, but Downtown San Diego is different because of its relaxed, Southern California culture, and we wanted the community to have an opportunity to shape the future by getting involved in naming the building, which will be unlike any other Downtown. We will choose a name that is most appropriate for the project and award the winner a $5,000 prize. To enter, visitors can go to the RETHINK Downtown website to submit their top choice for the building's name. We also give site visitors a chance to tell us how they feel about Downtown, what they'd like to see happen here and what the benefits of living Downtown are. The contest ends May 31.

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Carrie Rossenfeld

Carrie Rossenfeld is a reporter for the San Diego and Orange County markets on GlobeSt.com and a contributor to Real Estate Forum. She was a trade-magazine and newsletter editor in New York City before moving to Southern California to become a freelance writer and editor for magazines, books and websites. Rossenfeld has written extensively on topics including commercial real estate, running a medical practice, intellectual-property licensing and giftware. She has edited books about profiting from real estate and has ghostwritten a book about starting a home-based business.