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Santa Monica’s once-gleaming Third Street Promenade could use a breath of fresh air, and one tech entrepreneur is giving the world a peak at what full-blown botanical overhaul might look like.
Tech founder Raad Mobrem took to X to share a striking, utopian rendering of the iconic open-air shopping corridor, reimagining the struggling concrete pedestrian strip as a lush garden oasis complete with vertical gardens, overflowing planters, a winding creek, stone paths, and curved stone seating areas.
The dreamy image is turning heads online, racking up nearly 70,000 views and hundreds of likes and replies, offering a tantalizing glimpse of what the beleaguered retail destination could be with a serious makeover.
“I think a great way to save Third Street Promenade and have it thrive is to turn it into a park,” Mobrem wrote. “Instead of it just being a shopping spot, it’s a place people can come hang out, eat, drink, catch some sun, and do some shopping.”
The concept flips the Promenade’s traditional formula from an outdoor pedestrian mall where people happen to hang out, to a park where people happen to shop. The fantasy rendering keeps major retailers lining the street — including Zara, Apple, Urban Outfitters and Sephora — but effectively puts their storefronts around the edges of a sprawling public garden.
Mobrem even created an alternative rendering that accounts for emergency safety code, with a portion of the road in the center designated for emergency vehicles.
Once a thriving retail and lifestyle destination, the Promenade has faced a rocky post-pandemic chapter marked by empty storefronts and a homeless population. While local officials have recently pushed forward with revitalization initiatives, critics have argued the area lacks a bold rethinking in design.
In March, the city approved a new $3 million economic development fund earmarked in part for tenant improvement assistance, business recruitment, and capital renewal studies for Third Street Promenade. Last year, Santa Monica launched an “Entertainment Zone” along the Promenade, allowing those of legal drinking age to buy booze from participating businesses and carry their drinks outdoors within the designated zone.
