By Teut Deese Munich, Germany
As a former Santa Monica resident and now regular visitor, I would like to offer an observation of this town. Santa Monica is losing its identity and focus in a blur of construction.
The nice part of Santa Monica is the low scale, non-city like atmosphere. California’s assets of sunshine, beach, elbow room and greenery are at their peak in Santa Monica, yet all this seems lost on those wanting to build higher, bigger, more dense. It is foolish to aspire to a European or an east coast type of urban life. It’s a waste of assets. The natural riches can never be replaced by chock-a-block living, traffic, consumerism and hyper-urban fantasies.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 24, 2008. Read the original PDF.