Our mission is to initiate an academic exchange which considers our present and future urban design needs, utilizing the method of looking to our past, to give us clarity and direction for Santa Barbara’s future change. Faced with new challenges, including state-required housing mandates, many cities across California and the country are looking for ways to revitalize their core and provide housing for growing populations. Santa Barbara is no different in its need for solutions, but it’s particularly well situated to answer these concerns because of its well established and architecturally successful “city DNA.” Through a series of talks, panel discussions, tours, and an architectural drawing exhibition, participants will investigate how Santa Barbara developed its unique character, and how those principles can be employed to satisfy the needs of today.