We are in the midst of an era of conflict over space. Not war in the traditional sense. No tanks, no declarations, but a conflict all the same, fought in Council chambers and comment periods, […]

Three months ago, this column asked a simple question about the Santa Monica Airport Conversion Project: Where, exactly, would the money come from? The City’s own Airport Conversion Project identifies “Balance Economics” as one of […]

The city’s AB1740 effort stopped being about bicycle lanes and parking near the beach the moment residents read the bill and understood what it actually did. For years, Santa Monica has operated under a specific […]

Santa Monica officially reports numerous new business openings, often highlighted by the media as signs of economic recovery. However, a walk through the streets tells a different story; it appears less like a revival and […]

Attached is an article SMa.r.t. wrote in 2018, and short of a brief comment, I’m not going to edit or alter it, as it is prescient to what we are no doubt about to experience […]

There’s a story urban planners love to tell. A visionary architect-politician in a mid-sized Brazilian city looked at the chaos of modern urban life, the traffic, the pollution, the sprawl, and decided it didn’t have […]

Santa Monica is rushing its long-term water plan to state regulators — and giving residents just one week to weigh in. The city is required by California law to hold a public hearing before filing […]

Our city is currently coming through a cycle of decline, hoping to enter a more ascendant phase. But it is encountering two major headwinds that, in spite of everyone’s best efforts, do not augur well […]

by Bruce Leddy, SMa.r.t. Guest Columnist When it comes to new state housing laws that override local zoning, our City Council tends to say, in effect, “There’s nothing we can do! Our hands are tied!” […]

It was 4:31 in the morning when the San Fernando Valley lurched. The Northridge earthquake lasted less than 30 seconds. The effort to reckon with what it revealed would consume the better part of three […]