SAN DIEGO—San Diego was recently named the country's smartest city by the National Geographic Channel. In many ways it is a poster city for the return to city centers nationwide.

If that weren't enough to make the city proud, an exhibit designed to encourage visitors to ponder the urbanism movement, its history and future in downtown San Diego will open this month. Rethink Downtown: Behind San Diego's Skyline, sponsored by Bosa Development, opens to the public on Saturday, September 26. It is available to residents and visitors to San Diego at no charge. Open for a limited run, the 3,000 square-foot Rethink is an exhibition-lecture series that celebrates San Diego and asks visitors to ponder downtown's future, where it's going, and how architecture, design, amenities and quality of life enable San Diego to matter on a national scale from millennials to boomers. The exhibition, one of the largest privately sponsored exhibits of its kind in downtown San Diego, will take place at 700 First Avenue, and is open daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Bosa enlisted an international creative team to curate the exhibit based out of San Diego, London, Vancouver, Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York. Rethink Downtown is curated by Canadian Trevor Boddy, a critic, curator, historian of architecture/urbanism and consulting urban designer.

The exhibition will feature all-new videos, scale models, dramatic photographs, historic views/maps, and engaging displays along with a lecture series bringing the past and future of downtown San Diego to life. Rethink Downtown also will feature collaborations with San Diego State University School of Art and Design and NewSchool of Architecture + Design.

“By presenting the Rethink Downtown exhibition, we hope to get the public locally, regionally, nationally and internationally engaged by showing them the next stage of downtown San Diego's growth,” said Nat Bosa, president of Bosa Development. For anyone interested in where this city is headed, this exhibit is a must-see.” For locals, Rethink will be a source of pride. Innovation is thriving in San Diego and Rethink Downtown will showcase highlights from this emerging hub in its urban core.

Rethink Downtown will illustrate the city's fortitude by the numerous times it has had to “rethink” itself to survive and thrive. The exhibit, through the “rethink” lens, will highlight the evolution of its urban economy, from the Navy/maritime, aerospace, and tourism, to high tech and life sciences industries. Rethink will run the gamut, from San Diego history, current and future trends of downtown San Diego, the national urbanism movement, how downtown San Diego is a prime example of the trend, and an explanation of how architecture is changing the downtown experience.

Instant Insights /

San Diego Exhibit to 'Rethink' Urbanism

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