San Diego#

A strong convention center on the waterfront — Comic-Con, biotech conferences — with thinner city-wide participation infrastructure.

Facilities#

San Diego Convention Center — Downtown waterfront. Opened 1989 (Phase II 2001). ~615,700 sq ft exhibit. Walk Score 92. Hosts Comic-Con.

CommonScore: San Diego — 20#

CommonScore: 20.

Claims in italics are unverified — San Diego has less documented participation infrastructure than other cities in the dataset. Field verification needed.

#	Dimension	Wt	Avail	Scale	Score	Evidence
1	Food	11	0.6	0.3	2.0	Farmers markets (Hillcrest, Little Italy, others). Food truck culture.
2	Civic	11	0.7	0.5	3.9	San Diego Public Library — new Central Library (2013, Quigley design, 497K sq ft). 36 branches. Community centers.
3	Education	9	0.6	0.4	2.2	UCSD Extension, SD City College, Mesa College. Community college system.
4	Arts	7	0.5	0.2	0.7	Barrio Logan studios, Chicano Park murals. Arts district exists at neighborhood scale.
5	Music	7	0.5	0.2	0.7	Venues in North Park, open mics. Smaller scene.
6	Makers	7	0.3	0.2	0.4	Limited documented maker infrastructure.
7	Industry	7	0.7	0.7	3.4	San Diego Convention Center (615K sq ft). Comic-Con (200K+ attendees). Biotech conferences (BIO International). Strong convention facility.
8	Markets	7	0.6	0.3	1.3	Swap meets (SoCal tradition), farmers markets.
9	Kids	6	0.5	0.3	0.9	Rec center programming. Community youth programs.
10	Robotics	6	0.4	0.3	0.7	Qualcomm ecosystem. Biotech/tech R&D. Academic but some startup participation.
11	Wellness	5	0.6	0.3	0.9	Community pools. Beach culture (surfing is participation). Outdoor lifestyle.
12	Seniors	4	0.4	0.2	0.3	Senior centers.
13	Gaming	4	0.4	0.2	0.3	Board game shops. Comic-Con adjacent culture.
14	Theater	4	0.4	0.2	0.3	Community theater groups. La Jolla Playhouse (consumption).
15	Sports	2	0.6	0.3	0.4	Beach volleyball, rec leagues. Outdoor sports year-round.
16	Mega	3	0.7	0.7	1.5	Convention center hosts Comic-Con, BIO, major events.

Dimension scores = Wt × Avail × Scale. Total: 20 → CommonScore 20.

The Convention Center City#

San Diego scores highest on Industry Networking (3.4) and Mega-Events (1.5) — the convention center contributes 25% of the city’s total score. This is the highest convention center share in the dataset. San Diego’s city-wide participation infrastructure is thinner than peers, with the notable exception of the new Central Library (2013, 497K sq ft).