IMAGINE — A Platform for Realizing Santa Fe’s Future
Land-use frameworks in Santa Fe are producing outcomes at odds with the city’s current needs. To move forward, we must stop allowing legacy regulations to dictate—and ultimately delay—our progress.
Friends of Architecture Santa Fe is thrilled to launch the IMAGINE Series. Informed by the histories and assessments we have presented to date, we are shifting our focus to opportunity and action—to the future available to Santa Fe if we engage the ongoing General Plan and Zoning Rewrite with radical ambition and optimism.
Each session in the series takes up a deliberately provocative premise, signaling both the scale of the challenge and the magnitude of change required. We’ll ask what if, why not, and most importantly, what would it take? Through expert working groups, tours, and public discussions, we will advance timely, actionable planning and policy recommendations.
“IMAGINE” is both a provocation and an invitation to reject incrementalism and (once again) embrace a more ambitious design agenda for Santa Fe’s built environment.
We hope you will join us!
THE 2026 SEASON
Dates and details to be announced soon.
MAY // Imagine There’s No H-Board
The Historic Districts Review Board is a primary instance of land use dysfunction and emblematic of the challenges of the status quo. What would be the objectives of a new, future-oriented, and citywide preservation plan? How could the “Santa Fe Style” be instrumental rather than ornamental? We will explore the tools, processes, and authorities required to achieve it.
JUNE // Imagine There’s No Zoning
The urban forms that make Santa Fe unique predate the very zoning that now makes them illegal. Much of our current code is reactionary—built on what we don’t want to happen. What if we started over, coding for the density, walkability, and vibrancy we actually desire? We’ll look to other municipalities that have already successfully made the leap.
AUGUST // Imagine There Are No Cars
It is time to forcefully advocate for the pedestrian, bike, and transit-oriented infrastructure that will guarantee a sustainable and livable Santa Fe well into the next century. How do we break the auto-centric planning patterns of the mid-to-late 20th century? What opportunities and alternatives arise in their absence?
OCTOBER // Imagine There’s No Style
In connection with an upcoming exhibition, we connect the brilliant architecture of Tucson modernist Judith Chafee to Santa Fe. Where do “style” and regionalism intersect, and where do they diverge? We’ll look to contemporary and emerging practitioners to see what we can learn about the future of regional practice.
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Friends of Architecture Santa Fe’s programs and events are made possible by the financial support of our sponsors and donors, as well as our dedicated working board and event volunteers. We are a nonprofit organization and tax-exempt public charity under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. All donations are tax-deductible.
Is there still room to get in on the planning or facilitation?