Mott Smith

Biography

Mott Smith is an urban problem-solver with a passion for creating spaces that nourish communities — literally and figuratively.

As co-founder and CEO of Amped Kitchens, he helped pioneer the first large-scale multitenant kitchen facilities in the U.S., clearing the path for food entrepreneurs to grow without prohibitive costs or red tape. He’s also principal of Civic Enterprise, a development firm that builds urban infill projects, turns underused buildings into vital spaces, and helps craft policies that make cities more livable, layered, and alive — not through top-down grand schemes, but by getting the basics right and cultivating organic growth.

An adjunct professor in USC’s Master of Real Estate Development Program and longtime instructor in the Ross Minority Program in Real Estate, Mott also serves as Vice Chair of the L.A. City Small Business Commission and sits on the advisory boards of the UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies and Restore Neighborhoods LA, an affordable housing developer. He led planning for LAUSD’s multi-billion-dollar construction program and co-founded New Schools • Better Neighborhoods, rethinking how civic infrastructure could support stronger communities. Earlier in his career, he was editor of The Planning Report, served as president of the Westside Urban Forum, and played bass in All Day Sucker, an Interscope Records band from L.A.’s Viper Room era.

Mott has been an early mover on regulatory tools like L.A.’s Small Lot Subdivision Ordinance and the New Markets Tax Credit Program — often stepping in before the frameworks are fully formed, and helping prove out what’s possible.

He holds a BA in Linguistics from UCLA and a Master of Real Estate Development from USC — a fitting combination for someone who sees cities not just as physical or economic places, but as living venues for connection, improvisation, and possibility.

He’s also a dad, a husband, a lover of puns, and someone who believes to his core that great rhythm — in music, language, and neighborhoods  — is the foundation for everything we love.