South City Park envisions a bold transformation for San Diego, creating a new gateway to the United States from Mexico while restoring one of the city’s most valuable assets: its connection to the San Diego Bay. Anchored by a high-speed ferry terminal with service to Ensenada and express trolley connections to Tijuana, this project reimagines the heart of the city as a hub of connection, culture, and civic pride.
At the core of this vision is the relocation of the San Diego Convention Center to a state-of-the-art structure built above the existing trolley depot near Petco Park. This move eliminates the current convention center’s role as a barrier to the waterfront, unlocking the potential for an expansive new city park. South City Park creates a seamless, unencumbered connection between the Gaslamp Quarter, East Village, the San Diego Central Library, and the bayfront.
At the heart of South City Park is a vast, multi-use recreational field designed for civic events, scholastic sports, festivals, community markets, and everyday public life. The field is framed by two elevated vantage points: one architectural, the other topographic.
South City Grandstand
The South City Grandstand is a dramatic, Niemeyer-inspired structure that serves as both tiered seating and a civic landmark. Its angular form and bold triangular shade canopy create a striking architectural presence while offering an ideal place to watch events on the field below. Beneath the seating, a series of commercial spaces activate the park’s edge with cafés, small shops, and cultural uses that draw people in throughout the day.
Triangle Hill
On the opposite side of the field, Triangle Hill provides a more informal place to gather. This gently sloped, grass-covered landform functions as a natural amphitheater, offering relaxed seating for spectators, casual gatherings, and everyday use. At its peak, the hill becomes a scenic overlook, with panoramic views of the Coronado Bridge, the bay, and the surrounding city.
Together, the South City Grandstand and Triangle Hill create a dynamic interplay between architecture and landscape. They frame the field, offer multiple ways to experience events, and establish South City Park as a flexible civic room for San Diego.
A Stage for San Diego’s Biggest Moments
Imagine this: the San Diego Padres win their first-ever World Series. The city erupts in celebration. A sea of more than half a million people fills the streets, parading from Petco Park down a reimagined Harbor Drive promenade, through the heart of South City Park, and onto the great recreational field.
The South City Grandstand and Triangle Hill frame the field as a civic theater for history. The team stands before a roaring crowd, the Coronado Bridge silhouetted behind them, as the moment becomes part of the city’s collective memory — not just as a sports victory, but as a defining celebration of community, identity, and place.
This is what South City Park is designed for: the moments that define a city, the spaces where people come together, and the stories that unfold when urban life meets the waterfront.
Harbor Drive Promenade
The train tracks along Harbor Drive are buried, allowing for a grand pedestrian promenade stretching from Market Street to Park Boulevard. This promenade invites residents and visitors to stroll, relax, and enjoy unobstructed views of the bay, celebrating San Diego’s unique coastal character.
A Reimagined Urban Grid
The city’s historic street grid is extended into the park, with Fourth Avenue and Park Boulevard reaching out into the water to form a striking triangular pier. This new pier becomes a centerpiece of public life, featuring a ferry terminal, restaurants, and a public swimming pool—places where people gather, play, and connect with the waterfront.
South City Park is more than a physical transformation—it is a restoration of San Diego’s historic ties to its bay, a reinvention of its role as a binational hub, and a reimagining of urban life in the 21st century. By reconnecting the city to its waterfront and bridging communities across borders, South City Park creates a place where San Diego’s natural beauty, cultural richness, and urban vitality converge.
Nestled west of the recreational field, the Orange Grove pays homage to San Diego’s agricultural heritage while providing a tranquil retreat. The grove offers shade, the seasonal fragrance of orange blossoms, and an interactive experience where visitors can pick and enjoy fresh oranges, making it a place of both nourishment and reflection.
The relocated convention center serves as the focal point of the park, dramatically terminating the Harbor Drive Promenade. Elevated above the trolley depot, the center offers panoramic views of the city, bay, and surrounding mountains, embodying an innovative design that embraces accessibility, sustainability, and civic pride.