Words

There is a quiet truth about Santa Fe that almost no one says out loud, perhaps because it asks us to let go of a well-established illusion: Santa Fe has a real historic identity, but it does not cover the whole city. It never did. Our insistence on pretending otherwise has created a kind of architectural confusion that serves neither beauty nor affordability nor the lived reality of the place. Walk through the Historic Districts—the Eastside, Don Gaspar, Westside-Guadalupe—a

Cities rarely announce the rules that shape them. Most of us walk through our neighborhoods without thinking about the code beneath our feet — the quiet architecture of regulations, diagrams, and decisions that determine how streets feel, how buildings meet the sidewalk, and how daily life unfolds. But codes matter. They are the unseen scaffolding of a city’s identity. Santa Fe is preparing to revise its Land Development Code again. For many, that sounds like a bureaucratic e

Walk downtown and the east side of Santa Fe and you’ll notice something unusual: almost every building looks like it belongs. Earth-toned walls, flat roofs, rounded corners, and wooden beams. Even new buildings echo the past. That’s not a coincidence—it’s the result of centuries of design choices, cultural traditions, and city rules that shape how Santa Fe looks today. Let’s start back in the early 1600s. When the Spanish came to what is now New Mexico, they brought with them

When we think about what makes Santa Fe special, we often picture more than just buildings. We notice adobe walls thick with memory, the quiet dignity of a shaded plaza, or the way a simple bench invites conversation. These details don’t happen by accident—they’re the result of thoughtful design. And that’s why Santa Fe should have a City Architect. A City Architect is not just someone who designs buildings. It’s a civic role—embedded within city government—that helps guide h

When people hear the word density, they often picture something unpleasant—rows of identical apartment blocks, crowded streets, or towering buildings that block the sun. It’s easy to say, “We don’t want that here.” But here’s the thing: we already have density in Santa Fe. And we love it. Take a walk through the East Side. It’s one of the most cherished parts of our city, and I am very happy that I can call this part of Santa Fe home. The streets are narrow and walkable. Home