When UCLA began plans for the construction of a new Orthopaedic Hospital in Santa Monica, the Urban Simulation Team was commissioned to build a model of the project area and the surrounding neighborhood for use in design development and community outreach.

Working with architects Robert Stern and Diane Scott; and landscape architect Pam Burton, the Team created several iterations of the model as the design was refined and modified. Of primary concern to the designers and the community was the relationship of the building to the surrounding neighborhood.

A video walk-through of the model was used at public forums to present the design to the community. This strategy proved very effective. In a Sunday, June 27, 1999 L.A. Times article about the hospital plans, the Santa Monica project team was commended for its commitment to working with the neighborhood and sharing their plans in an open process that included exploration of the project through the Urban Simulation Team model:

"Representatives from neighborhood organizations who had previously been opposed to nearby Saint John's Health Center's $270 million renovation plan, appeared to be somewhat pleased by Santa Monica-UCLA's plan." "The Santa Monica Hospital has been very different than St. John's," said David Cole, president of Mid-City Neighbors. "They've involved neighborhood groups and have used some of our input. They've been sensitive to the fact that this is [a] small community."