Where Can San Diego Grow Sustainably? A Geospatial Analysis of Residential Development Potential in the City of San Diego
Primary Faculty Advisor
Diana Chen
Publication Date
Spring 2026
Disciplines
Civil Engineering | Engineering | Environmental Sciences | Urban, Community and Regional Planning
Description / Abstract
This project develops a GIS-based, multi-criteria decision framework to identify and prioritize residential development opportunities within the City of San Diego. A citywide inventory of 38,856 candidate parcels was compiled from seven development tiers, including official housing sites, surplus public land, vacant residential parcels, underutilized commercial and industrial properties, surface parking lots, and ADU-eligible parcels. An eleven-factor favorability index integrating infrastructure access, environmental sensitivity, physical constraints, and social equity was created to evaluate the suitability of each parcel for future housing development. Results show that the highest-scoring opportunities are concentrated in infrastructure-rich urban neighborhoods, while lower-scoring sites are generally located in environmentally sensitive or infrastructure-poor areas. The analysis demonstrates that San Diego can accommodate substantial residential growth through strategic infill development while minimizing environmental impacts and advancing equitable access to housing, providing a transparent, data-driven tool to support long-term land use and housing planning.