Diego Velasco

Diego Velasco, FAICP is a Lecturer in the Urban Studies and Planning Department at UC San Diego since 2019. He also owns and runs Citythinkers, a successful urban design practice based in San Diego and with work across the State of California. Diego has devoted his 25-year career to helping diverse, underserved communities. Using his background in housing design, he helps cities create and implement effective housing policies and regulations. His work on the city’s Complete Communities Housing Solutions incentive program put San Diego on the map as one of the most pro-housing cities in the country. He has designed nine housing developments in San Diego, totaling more than 600 units and including 284 affordable units. He brings visionary urban design solutions to cities across California and recent notable work includes the Midway Rising Specific Plan, San Diego Coastal Resilience Master Plan, Hillcrest LGBTQ+ Cultural District Plan, and University of San Diego Master Plan.