Could the fourth border be a ferry route? Communities along the Southern California coast generally do not use the sea as a transportation route. Why not? And might that change? DnA explores whether it could be possible for beach cities to be connected by ferry services. We go to the end of the Santa Monica Pier with Curbed editor Alissa Walker to observe the remains of the breakwater that once created a safe harbor for yachts, fishing vessels,and gambling ships in the Santa Monica Bay. And we ask the city’s mobility manager Francie Stefan if sea transit might ever be restored. CAPTION: Alissa Walker at the Santa Monica Pier, with the former breakwater in the background. Photo credit: Frances Anderton. We learn from Captain Dan Salas what the challenges, and opportunities, are for running a ferry service today. First and foremost, you “need a safe port for passengers,” he says, explaining how most of the Southland’s beach cities sit on open sea. Add to that powerful headwinds and high swells, then you have to guarantee the passengers, making sure “you are 70 to 80 percent full in order to cover your fuel, your insurance, the cost of the vessel, the maintenance and the inspections and the upkeep, because they’re all regulated by the federal government and the United States Coast Guard,” Salas says, adding that running a ferry boat is “almost like running a large aircraft.” Dan Salas, founder of Harbor Breeze Cruises. Photo credit: Frances Anderton. But he believes it is feasible nonetheless, adding that the first test might come with the possible arrival of SpaceX at Terminal Island, between San Pedro and Long Beach. Salas is considering offering an electric-motorized ferry service for workers who would have to park on the San Pedro side of the harbor. We learn the topic has been discussed in the City of Hermosa Beach. A ferry service has been floated as a possible application of tidelands funds earned from the cable landing sites. If ferry service could serve as a welcome connection for stressed-out Westside commuters, it might be essential in the future. Francie Stefan explains that as ocean levels rise, and tidal events might block PCH, we are going to have to figure out ways both “to enjoy the coast and to get up and down the coast… But I also think by introducing water based transportation we can actually start to break down some of that fourth border.” Bridges and Walls is supported in part by the California Arts Council, a state agency. And special thanks to NPR’s Story Lab. Follow this series at KCRW.com/BridgesandWalls

Should a mid-century bank be saved? 8150 Sunset is a proposed five-structure development designed by architect Frank Gehry for developer Townscape Partners. Its site is the eastern edge of the Sunset Strip at the border of LA and West Hollywood. Currently on the site is the Lytton Savings Bank, a modernist building designed by the late Kurt Meyer. Preservationists have earned the bank a historic designation. What does this mean for the Gehry project? Should the bank building be saved?

Miracle Mile Makeover Changes are afoot in LA museum world. The co-lead architect of the Oscars museum, to occupy the former May Company, has been mysteriously dropped. But the Oscars museum is not the only change coming to the Wilshire-Fairfax intersection.

“Sculptural” Architecture at MOCA and LACMA In the last couple of weeks, two of the large-scale Pacific Standard Time Presents exhibits have opened; one at LACMA, showcasing Peter Zumthor’s design to replace four buildings on the museum site; the other is at MOCA. MOCA’s is an exhibit that stalled along the way, largely to do with the framing of the show, as “A New Sculpturalism.” About a month ago, architect Thom Mayne helped assemble a team to realize the installation. They maintained more or less the same designers, but changed the layout.  So how does the show look and feel now? And more importantly what does the “sculptural” building actually proposed for LACMA mean for Los Angeles? We heard from architecture writer Sam Lubell, installation manager Anne Marie Burke, architect Peter Zumthor and LACMA director Michael Govan and architect Craig Hodgetts.

Is LA Still a Fast-Growing World City? In the years after World War II, Los Angeles' population growth was spectacular. During 20 years as Mayor, Tom Bradley envisioned what he called a "World Class City" with skyscrapers, subways, new schools and parks to accommodate a population that would live increasingly in multi-family housing in much denser neighborhoods than it was famous for. That's the vision we're building for now, but is it really the wave of the future?

Bright Spots in a Bad Year Even if 2010 was tough on the design and construction industry in LA there were still some—even surprising—bright spots. DnA asked some design and architecture experts to offer their choice of the best thing to happen to the built environment in the past year, and found that creating community was a dominant theme. Hear Juan Devis, Christopher Hawthorne, Linda Dishman, Sam Lubell, Rochelle Mills, Guy Horton and Katherine Perez on such highlights as connecting neighborhoods with the Expo Line , taking back the streets with CicLAvia and bringing fine architecture to Skid Row .

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