Spanning over 460 acres and 8 linear miles of waterfront, the Port of Los Angeles is among the most important pieces of infrastructure in the Western Hemisphere—the largest container port in the U.S., a linchpin for global logistics, and an industrial hub critical to San Pedro and L.A. County at large.
Today, the Port is imagining a more connective, accessible, and resilient future waterfront. Building on nearly $234 million in public access investment over the past two decades, the San Pedro Waterfront Connectivity Plan weaves together multiple goals, presenting strategies to enhance connectivity between the San Pedro shoreline, adjacent neighborhoods, and the wider region.
Building on extensive community engagement events including nearly 300 participants, the plan presents a comprehensive set of recommendations spanning vehicular, pedestrian, bicycle, public transit, and water-based mobility across the Port—as well as outlining open space, public art, wayfinding, and recreational opportunities. Direct connections to local climate action policy are woven throughout the plan, positioning the Port to deliver on its long-term sustainability goals in all proposed projects.
Navigating highly complex conditions, the plan brings together fundable, feasible, and resilient strategies to define a cohesive waterfront experience, solve for immediate connectivity issues, and remain adaptive to future use—a framework for a world-class waterfront destination for L.A. and the region.
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Long Beach Shoreline
SWA prepared a land use and urban design plan for six miles of waterfront adjacent to downtown Long Beach. Through a series of meetings with local community stakeholders, we were able to determine the different needs of each district in the plan: of critical importance was the need to preserve valuable open space inland, and to maintain an ecological corridor ...
Aquatic Park & Pier Vision Study
The Aquatic Park and Pier Vision Study is a community-led effort examining new possibilities along San Francisco’s northern waterfront. Prompted by the need to replace the disintegrating Aquatic Park Pier — a historic, curvilinear structure that shelters shoreside water for swimmers and boaters — the Vision Study looks beyond the immediate boundaries of the Ma...
Suzhou Center
The Suzhou Center is a landmark urban space within the Suzhou Central Business District that embodies the spirit of the city of Suzhou as a gateway for intersecting old and new cultural and historic heritage. The successful combination of high-density development and ecological conservation will allow for Suzhou to transition to a garden city where state-of-th...
Kaohsiung Waterfront Renovation
SWA, in association with Morphosis Architecture and CHNW, developed a vision for the future of Kaohsiung Harbor Wharfs, which includes 114 hectares of prime waterfront property formerly used for cargo shipping. The site, located in the shipping heart of Kaohsiung, Taiwan, was historically subjected to environmental neglect and rampant uncontrolled development....