The Price of Being Dense

By Jeff Weinstein

Recently, I have read in two nationally recognized urban planning/architecture magazines that "despite its image as the epitome of suburban sprawl, greater Los Angeles is the densest metropolitan area in the United States, at 5,725 people per square mile."

Those of us who spend much of our days in the dense urban sprawl of Los Angeles know that to be true. Residents of Santa Monica however, our City by the sea, comprise 86,000 creative souls in 8 (once lovely) square miles. That is 10,750 persons per square mile, nearly twice the density of next-door megalopolis Los Angeles.

Unbelievable, but nearly twice as many people live in Santa Monica per square mile than in L.A., yet our City Council and Planning Commission tell us, the residents, that not nearly enough people live here now (witness CCSM's Pacific & Main debacle), as if the current horrendous traffic conditions (designed and installed by City Hall) didn't make matters even worse.

City Hall's extravagant and costly devotion to ideological politics has cost us dearly in Santa Monica. We can't get anywhere in this town. City Hall doesn't give a damn about the school system (Councilman Ken Genser told me his classroom had 40 students with one teacher when he was a kid and he turned out all right!).

Many of us (with children in tow) must deal with the homeless outside our front door every day and during nearly every routine errand in town. Apparently, some City Council members do not respond in the most basic way to fairness or the business of governing.

The "traffic-calming devices" installed throughout Santa Monica -- including extending curbs to eliminate right turns, medians to slow traffic on thoroughfares, speed bumps, intentionally reducing well-traveled two lane roadways to one lane -- are all intended to re-orient traffic by modifying our behavior, causing all of us to get behind the slowest common denominator.

The attraction by "Green" members of the City Council to similar thinking, ivory-tower, collegiate planning theories by highly paid, out-of-town consultants, has also brought us the new, improved Civic Center Plan and the newly proposed downtown development standards that will create even greater density and gridlock throughout downtown. (When was the last time you drove on 4th Street?)

Ivory-tower -- defined as "an impractical often escapist attitude marked by aloof lack of concern with or interest in practical matters or urgent problems" -- describes the accomplishments of this City Council exactly.

The thinking a few years back was that all these so-called "traffic improvements" would keep us a little safer after successive tragic auto fatalities (three of the four caused by seniors, I recall). Not politically correct, but true nevertheless. All the physical "improvements" did not save a single life, as far as I can tell, yet the quality of our lives in Santa Monica is a whole lot worse.

Whether City Hall is taking on the banking industry, mismanaging an historic beach club or harassing landlords, the fact is City Hall can't be trusted spending money. (How could they. Many of its members never had a full-time job, saved for a home, or raised a family -- basic American values).

If it wasn't for the City, some might not have jobs, health insurance or a cheap place to live. If these City Council members were truly thoughtful and intelligent leaders, interested in improving the quality of life for all Santa Monicans, we would have had a well-organized transit system for our seniors, rather than a 25 cent "ride the tide" transit system primarily used by transients and tourists.

The steadily increasing population densities (twice that of LA) combined with reduced infrastructure capacity (traffic-calming devices) have resulted in the daily gridlock and inconvenience experienced by residents. These results are explainable and inevitable.