AFLSE San Diego presents the Laurel Salon Series

Wednesday, March 4, 2026
Doors open 6:00pm · Program begins 6:30pm
Banker’s Hill, San Diego (RSVP for full details, Parking available)

We are delighted to feature

Dr. Bruce Appleyard

Temporary Paradise?
A look at the special landscape of the San Diego Tijuana region 

The San Diego Tijuana region isn’t defined by just a border. It’s a living system.

 At this Laurel Salon presented by AFLSE San Diego, Dr Bruce Appleyard invites us to zoom out and see our region as it truly operates today: a transnational powerhouse shaped by decades of cultural exchange, shared resources and human movement. Not despite the border, but because of what flows across it.

The conversation explores the idea of interdependence between San Diego and Tijuana — a recognition that our prosperity, safety, creativity and future are fundamentally linked.

Drawing inspiration from Temporary Paradise? by Donald Appleyard and Kevin Lynch, Bruce will revisit a 1970s vision of the region as a place that shares water, energy, economy and dreams. A vision that feels newly urgent.

This salon is for people who believe borders are a zone of confluence where living cultures meet, collaborate and thrive. For those who sense the old narratives no longer serve us — and that something smarter, braver and more human is required now.

As Mark Twain observed, travel - and by extension exchange - is fatal to prejudice. This evening is an invitation to think beyond “sides” and toward shared ground.

Expect thoughtful provocation, cross-border perspective and a room full of people who care deeply about the future of this region.

At Laurel Salon, space is intentionally intimate. Curiosity is mandatory. Come ready to listen, reflect and rethink what’s possible together.

Laurel Salon is founded on the belief that conversation is an art — a force that illuminates and renews. Here, diverse voices meet across disciplines, where curiosity is celebrated and dialogue enriches both the individual and the community.

Hosted by LSE alumni: May Meere (MSc Behavioural Science) & Amanda Toombs (MSc Social Policy)
 

RSVPs necessary.
 
ABOUT OUR SPEAKER: 

Dr. Bruce Appleyard 

Urban planner | Cross-border thinker | Builder of big, humane ideas.

Dr. Bruce Appleyard is Professor of City Planning and Urban Design at San Diego State University and Director of the Action Institute for Sustainability, Livability, and Equity (AISLE). His work sits at the intersection of urban design, transportation and public space, with a sharp focus on sustainability, livability and equity.

Bruce carries forward his father’s legacy of Temporary Paradise?, advancing a bold vision of the San Diego Tijuana region as a shared, interconnected landscape. His work challenges us to treat the border not as a line of separation, but as a zone of confluence where living cultures meet, collaborate and thrive.

He will be joined in conversation by additional guests from across the region - practitioners, thinkers and connectors who bring complementary perspectives on cross-border life, planning and possibility. Together, they will enrich the dialogue with lived experience and forward-looking insight.