Phil eats at Santa Monica’s famous Izzy’s Deli and finds the power of giving is a driving force of founder/owner Izzy Freeman.
Brock on Your Block: Izzy Freeman and Izzy’s Deli
SM.a.r.t. Column: Where Will Our Huddled Masses Sleep? Navigating California’s Affordable Housing Mandates
Just as Lady Liberty beckons the “huddled masses” of immigrants to America, cities like Santa Monica have an ethical obligation...
SM.a.r.t Column: SMCLC SPEAKS
SMart (Santa Monica Architects for a Responsible Tomorrow) periodically invites guest columnists who have made a significant contribution to the...
SM.a.r.t Column: Building Modern Boxes Lacks Identity
In the relentless pursuit of modernity, cities worldwide have witnessed the rise of so-called architectural marvels in the form of...
SM.a.r.t. Column: Santa Monica Needs Responsible Urban and Architectural Design
[SMa.r.t. note: Eight years ago, our highly esteemed and recently-passed colleague Ron Goldman documented his thoughts on the need for...
SM.a.r.t. Column: BLINK NOW!
Nine years ago, I wrote a column for SMa.r.t. titled SANTA MONICA: BEACH TOWN OR ‘DINGBAT’ CITY? (https://smdp.com/2015/05/09/santa-monica-beach-town-dingbat-city/)Here is the...
SM.a.r.t Column: ARB Courage (Part 2 of 2)
Last week we discussed the numerous flaws of the Gelson’s project as a perfect example of what not to do...
ARB Courage (Part 1 of 2)
On March 4, 2024, your ARB (Architectural Review Board) ruled in favor of the 521-unit Gelson’s Project at Ocean Park...
SM.a.r.t Column: Can California ARBs Balance Affordable Housing with Community Character in the Face of New Housing Laws?
By suggestion, I attended the March 4th ARB (Architectural Review Board) meeting that addressed the Gelson Lincoln Boulevard Project. After...
S.M.a.r.t Column: On the Need for Safety
Earlier this week, in the dark pre-dawn hours, a pair of thugs covered in masks and hoodies burst into the...
Film Review: The Oscar Landscape 2024
FILM REVIEWTHE OSCAR LANDSCAPE 2024A Look at the Choices – Academy Awards – March 10, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. on...
S.M.a.r.t Column: Five Saving Historic Santa Monica
Our beloved City is surrounded by many threats, from sea level rise to homelessness, to housing affordability, to cancerous overdevelopment,...
S.M.a.r.t Column: Gelson’s Looms Large
Our guest column this week is by SMCLC (the Santa Monica Coalition for a Livable City). SMCLC is a well-established...
S.M.a.r.t Column: Top Toady Town
Throughout history, from the ancient Romans and Assyrians to Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, siege warfare has served as an...
S.M.a.r.t Column: The Sunset of Home Ownership
We are watching the sunset of our historical and cultural American dream of home ownership as we now are crossing...
SMa.r.t. Column: B(U)Y RIGHT
“By Right” state housing laws that give developers, in certain projects, the ability to ignore codes ‘by right.’ Well, that...
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