Design for San Diego: Tackling Housing Insecurity Through Collective Innovation

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At Design for San Diego (D4SD), collaboration knows no bounds. This city-wide design challenge brings together individuals from all walks of life, including high school students, university teams, community members, and seasoned professionals, to tackle San Diego's most pressing issues.

“People want to have a voice in helping design and shape where and how they live,” shared Design Lab Associate Director and D4SD co-founder, Michèle Morris. “Many times, however, they feel like they don’t have enough information, don’t know how to get involved, and/or don’t know with whom to connect for advice.  D4SD is designed to assist with these uncertainties. It is an invitation to join in a humanity-centered design process with support from a design and research team versed in the challenge topic and connected to regional experts. Consequently, participants can explore and propose solution ideas for some of our region’s toughest issues in a meaningful way.”

For 2024, D4SD focused on one of the most urgent issues: the housing insecurity and homelessness. Participants were asked, “How might we design resilient solutions to create a lasting impact on the housing crisis?” To guide their ideas, they explored four themes: health, awareness, upward mobility, and placemaking.

Teams had approximately two months to prepare their projects for the World Design Policy Conference, held in downtown San Diego on November 12 and 13. Leading up to the conference, they worked to address meaningful but often overlooked challenges regarding housing insecurities and homelessness. These ranged from improving access to respite care for recovery to tackling barriers that make it difficult for unhoused individuals to maintain personal records or obtain IDs—critical issues that require thoughtful and sustained attention.

Members of the Design Lab provided ongoing support and guidance to the teams, to include design tools and methods, connections to housing and homelessness experts, and a platform with results that could grow beyond the submission deadline.

“We know that ideas can go in better directions if we provide a starting point,” says Steven Dow, professor of cognitive science, Design Lab faculty at UC San Diego, and co-founder of D4SD. “We didn’t stop with the question, ‘What are your ideas for housing?’; rather, we worked with regional experts to articulate specific problems around housing to give teams different points of departure for their projects.”

At the conference, teams presented their ideas to a panel of seven judges representing the fields of technology, government, entrepreneurship, and education. The judges evaluated the solutions based on six key criteria: problem identification, using a human-centered process, novelty, potential for impact, feasibility, and presentation.

The competition drew 47 submissions from teams with diverse levels of experience, including 23 from high school students, 17 from university teams, and 7 from professionals.

One standout project, “Personal Lockers for the Unhoused,” asked, “How might we provide a safe space for unhoused people to store their belongings?” Their solution: a locker system designed for unhoused individuals, featuring a fingerprint locking mechanism to eliminate the need for physical keys or PIN codes. Their efforts earned them the “Most Potential for Implementation” award and a $1,000 prize.

The team, consisting of high-school students Ariana Ludwig, Rafa Timmerman, and Danny Breise, began their journey with a brainstorming session. Initially, they considered designing a haircare product for the unhoused, but the group quickly pivoted after identifying a deeper issue: the lack of safe storage for personal belongings. Through collaborative discussions, they explored a range of possibilities, wondering how unhoused individuals could securely store valuable items and how their design could address this critical need.

“We weren’t sure where people would store the materials we gave them,” the team explained, “so we began thinking about storage as a broader problem.”

Their design process did not stop at ideation. The team interviewed members of the San Diego Police Department, who revealed that over 20% of police calls are related to housing insecurity. They also consulted the owners of a locker company to understand current solutions and challenges. These insights shaped their design decisions, including slanted roofs on lockers to prevent water damage, murals to integrate the lockers aesthetically into urban environments, and feasible routes for maintenance and upkeep.

When it came time to present their project at the World Design Policy Conference, the team participated in a one-minute pitch session, where they presented their concept to the judges and audience. Following the pitch, they joined a feedback session where attendees visited their station to share constructive insights and suggestions for their project. From the discussions in this session, the team gained valuable insights, including identifying the O Lot Safe Sleeping Site in San Diego as a potential location. 

The team connected with Carlos McCray, Community Engagement Coordinator for the City of San Diego and one of the judges at the conference. Through this connection, they have been able to continue developing their project beyond the competition. With McCray’s guidance, the team is now focused on the next phase: building a prototype with a fingerprint locking system and gathering feedback from unhoused individuals through partnerships with local shelters.

“To think that it’s more than just a design competition...” one team member reflected. “I never would have guessed we’d go further than that, let alone come across this opportunity to continue.”