In Italo Calvino’s “Invisible Cities,” an explorer describes places shaped entirely by memory—cities that exist as much in recollection as reality. Santa Monica is becoming Calvino’s inverse: a visible city that cannot remember itself, when […]

Every Tuesday, our city council convenes in chambers that embody civic memory—mid-century architecture from when cities believed in public purpose. There, dedicated public servants wrestle with impossible choices between state mandates and community character. Citizens […]

Last Friday (December 5), we lost one of our own: Frank Gehr,y who passed away at age 96, is probably the most recognized American architect. His storied local, national, and international career started and blossomed […]

Twenty years ago, at dismissal time, school intersections bustled with parents and children, the afternoon ritual of family life. Last June of this year, during the many new mixed-use projects along Lincoln Blvd., I’d expect […]

By CHARLES ANDREWS HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Of course, that means different things to different people. My family has gathered every year for 75 years at my cousin’s home in Tempe, AZ. Two of the cousins were […]

Professor Horst Rittel of UC Berkeley’s School of Architecture coined the term “wicked problems” to describe planning challenges in constant flux with many moving parts and stakeholders. He taught that effective problem-solving requires defining the […]

Long before Santa Monica became a global destination, it was a humble seaside town defined by salt air, sunshine, and a sense of belonging. Families gathered on the sand, cyclists rolled down Ocean Avenue, and […]