Santa Monica under (R.E.) pressure

Do you think this house should be replaced by a multi-unit apartment building? This LA Times article details a common story of real estate development pressure in a limited land capacity, in high demand town - in this case Santa Monica. Community activists are working hard to protect, with landmark status, their Arts and Crafts and Spanish revival buildings as developers are working outpace status designation and demolish them. Realistically, only about 6-8 houses will be granted landmark status per year.

I found the quotes from the community to be especially illustrative about this battle. On one side, you have the long-time neighbor recognizing the virtues of the old-fashioned neighborhood:

"What makes this neighborhood great is people outside, walking their dogs, making coffee together. That's how you build community."

against what most would call the realists,

"Land values are high and people want to build big," Lehrer said. "That's the free market. That's capitalism."

Yes, a free market means highest chance at greatest profit, but if a place can set priorities so that you profit from better communities - in this case, perhaps by protecting against the encroachment of out-of-scale houses - then that's capitalism that's beneficial in the long haul. Multi-unit buildings can be good places - but it's a challenge most developers will not have the time, or extra resources, to commit to, because it's not a priority set by the community.

In Tokyo, a city notorious for its demolitions and new buildings and beginning to suffer the negative effects of piecemeal development, the city recently passed an ordinance that all new buildings must have "community-oriented public spaces." Still vague, but a step in the right direction, and definitely something to look into.