For centuries, ancient flood myths have imagined arks built in response to rising waters. Today, climate science presents a similar challenge: within two centuries, sea levels may reshape Santa Monica’s Surfurbia. In facing this future, the question is not whether to build walls or retreat inland, but how to remain in dialogue with the ocean that defines this place.

Inspired by Reyner Banham’s Los Angeles: The Architecture of Four Ecologies, this proposal envisions a city that rises with the tide. Elevated structures and public buildings become part of a new canal system, preserving cultural landmarks while creating spaces that accept and adapt to water. Rather than severing community from coast, the design sustains their connection through spatial continuity and resilience.

Architectural language draws from the sea. Curved glass facades reflect the motion of waves, softening the line between interior and exterior. Housing units are vertically organized to ensure light, air, and privacy, while reimagining single-family living for a more collective and compact urban future. Circulation patterns mimic ocean currents, weaving movement across multiple levels with clarity and rhythm.

As the shoreline evolves, natural systems are invited to return. Seagrass beds are integrated into the urban fabric to absorb carbon, stabilize sediment, and support biodiversity. These ecological layers become visible and accessible, reinforcing the relationship between built form and natural process.

As tides rise, we will not retreat. We will live alongside the waves, embracing a new way of life defined by flow, coexistence, and the boundless motion of the sea.