Over the last few years, the State of California has mandated a massive upzoning of cities to create capacity for a mirage of 2.5 million new housing units over the next eight years (2021 to […]

Nine years ago, SMa.r.t wrote a series of articles addressing the adaptive re-use of existing structures. We titled one “Shape Up,” analogizing development with bodybuilding – physical fitness. Lots of life left in the old […]

Living in a city has its perks, but it can be a real headache when the folks running the show don’t seem to care about what matters to us. One of the biggest challenges is […]

[Note: our guest author today is Andres Drobny, a former Professor of Economics at the University of London, the former Chief Economist at Bankers Trust Company in London, and the founder of Drobny Global Advisors, […]

As referenced in Part I of this article, the state’s use of faulty statistics and forceful legislation has left a dilemma no city should face. That of either losing neighborhood livelihood and character or spending […]

To quickly summarize, California grapples with an ongoing housing crisis spurred by state implementation of over 100 policies and mandates aimed at increasing the supply of ‘affordable’ housing. While these efforts may seem beneficial at […]

Just as Lady Liberty beckons the “huddled masses” of immigrants to America, cities like Santa Monica have an ethical obligation to provide housing for their own “huddled masses” of lower-income residents. We are experiencing a […]

SMart (Santa Monica Architects for a Responsible Tomorrow) periodically invites guest columnists who have made a significant contribution to the public discourse to its weekly SM Mirror OP-Ed page. Today, we invite SMCLC (Santa Monica […]

In the relentless pursuit of modernity, cities worldwide have witnessed the rise of so-called architectural marvels in the form of sleek apartment buildings and commercial structures. Many are often celebrated for their avant-garde designs and […]

[SMa.r.t. note: Eight years ago, our highly esteemed and recently-passed colleague Ron Goldman documented his thoughts on the need for urban and architectural design in Santa Monica. We are revisiting his essay below (with minor […]