The North Park Pershing Portal Project (NP4) is a traffic calming, beautification, and historic district marker project which serves as a major entry portal into one of San Diego’s oldest neighborhoods. The entry plaza, which includes lighting, landscaping, improved traffic and crossing configurations, and historic information, is the result of years of neighborhood organizing and activism stretching back to 1986. It addresses community wide concerns about pedestrian safety, encourages neighborhood enhancements which lead to more liveable communities, links schoolchildren to available green spaces, and promotes the understanding and appreciation of the unique historic character of the neighborhood. It also serves as an entry into the David O. Dryden Historic District, an important Southern California Arts & Craft bungalow district.
NP4 addressed a complex traffic problem at the Pershing, 28th and Upas Street four-way intersection. It resolved the problem of the unattractive barriers and boxes haphazardly erected at the end of 28th Street as part of a necessary street closure. It completes the triangle of improvements which began with the construction of Bird Park between 28th Street and Pershing, and its smaller spur park nestled between Pershing and Upas Streets. The entry portal creates an invitation to pedestrians to walk through and learn about this historic district. It incorporates the Arts & Craft architectural elements that repeat in the surrounding neighborhood.
The NP4 project is an outgrowth of both neighborhood and community wide planning efforts and/or directives to create capital improvement projects which identify community entry portals, expand public space, encourage pedestrian friendly streets, incorporate public artists in the design process, develop community green spaces, and promote safe streets through lighting programs. These directives were generated by community and city planning and discussion groups including: the North Park Planning Committee, North Park Urban Main Street, Mid-City Revitalization Plan, East Mesa Neighborhood Traffic Study, City of San Diego Consolidated Plan, North Park Planning Charrette, Mid-City Historic Survey, Defensible Spaces Plan, North Park Redevelopment PAC and North Park Community Association. NP4 addresses a significant number of these community and citywide planning directives.
