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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Hangzhou Hubin
West Lake in Hangzhou, China, one of the world’s most romantic places and as familiar an icon as the Great Wall or the Forbidden City, has been designated by the United Nations as one of the World Cultural Heritage Sites. Seven hundred years later, the city that served ancient emperors as a capitol boasts a population of over three million and is still a...
Ningbo East New Town Civic Plaza
As an extension of the Ningbo East New Town Government Center, this civic plaza extends the geometry and ecology of SWA’s past work in the city. A central civic axis runs from the government buildings to the Dongqian Lake edge, providing a large, flexible gathering/event space adjacent to an expansive lawn as well as sweeping views of the water. Per city plann...
Xinyang Suo River
SWA recently completed a master plan for a 36 km length of the Xingyang Suo River located in Xinyang, China. Located on a site at the confluence of an elaborate network of waterways, the River has served as a transportation system for the movement of goods, services and people between Xingyang, Beijing and the coastal cities to the Southeast. This has transfor...
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 ...