When Ernest Hahn approached Jerde to revitalize downtown San Diego in 1977, the city's tax revenues could not support basic city services. So Jerde designed Horton Plaza as a new urban district that would bring people - and commerce - back to the city. Horton Plaza redefined the urban retail experience. Combining shops, res­taurants, a cinema, outdoor theaters, a hotel and offices into a double-curved pedestrian street, Horton Plaza established a new connectivity in the downtown core. Expected to take five years to produce a change, Horton Plaza attracted 25 million people in its first year and immediately served as a catalyst for regeneration. Since opening, the $170-million Horton Plaza has attracted $2.4 billion to revitalize other areas of downtown San Diego. Today, the total revitalization produces a 12-percent annual yield on investment. And Horton Plaza continues to generate San Diego's highest sales per square foot - 17 years after opening. The Horton Plaza Redevelopment Project has increased assessed property values by $451 million, or more than 2,700 percent.