// explore the city

Santa Monica

A city of about eight square miles that carries the weight of a much larger one. This section is an attempt to look at it honestly — place by place, issue by issue — and to show what I'd actually work on, including the parts I'm still figuring out.

How to read this: Everything here is either an observation, a position, or an early concept. Concepts are labeled as concepts. Numbers marked as placeholders are waiting on verified city data — I'd rather show the gap than invent a figure.
Browse by
Stylized orientation map — not to scale
Pacific OceanSanta Monica BayPalisades ParkBeachOcean AveMontana AveWilshire BlvdLincoln BlvdPico BlvdI-10Pacific Palisades ↑Brentwood →Venice ↓
N
PierBeachDowntownAirportSMCParksResidentialMain St / Ocean ParkMontanaPico / Mid-CityCivic CenterCorridors

// by place

Places

Every part of the city has a different set of problems. These pages try to describe each one on its own terms.

Santa Monica Pier

The most recognized landmark in the city — and one of its hardest operating environments.

TourismPublic SafetyVendorsEvents+3

Santa Monica Beach

Three-plus miles of coastline that function as our largest public space.

Public SafetyCleanlinessRecreationHomelessness+3

Downtown & Third Street Promenade

The commercial core — and the clearest test of whether we can bring a street back.

Vacant StorefrontsLocal BusinessPublic SafetyRestaurants+5

Santa Monica Airport

227 acres and the largest land-use decision Santa Monica will make this generation.

Future Land UseAirport TransitionParks & Open SpaceTransportation+3

Santa Monica College

One of the country's strongest community colleges, embedded in the middle of the city.

StudentsHousingTransportationWorkforce Development+3

Parks & Recreation

Palisades, Reed, Memorial, Virginia Avenue and the neighborhood spaces in between.

RecreationSafetyMaintenanceEvents+2

Residential Santa Monica

The neighborhoods where most of the city actually lives day to day.

HousingNeighborhood SafetyDevelopmentTraffic+2

Main Street / Ocean Park

A walkable small-business corridor with one of the strongest neighborhood identities in the city.

Small BusinessesRestaurantsBeach CommunityHousing+2

Montana Avenue / North of Montana

Neighborhood retail and quiet residential streets with a distinct character.

Neighborhood BusinessesResidential IssuesTrafficSafety+1

Pico / Mid-City

The most diverse part of Santa Monica, and often the least represented in citywide conversations.

Local BusinessesHousingSanta Monica CollegeTransportation+1

Civic Center

City Hall, public facilities, and the place where decisions actually get made.

City HallGovernmentPublic FacilitiesCivic Space+1

Transportation Corridors

Lincoln, Wilshire, Santa Monica Blvd, Pico, and the Expo/E Line.

TrafficTransitPedestriansCycling+2

// resident input

Tell me what you're seeing

If you live, work, or spend time here, your experience is the data I actually need. Share an issue, a fix, or something the city is missing.

0/2000

Goes directly to me. Not published on the site.