Opened in June 2020, the Promenade on Forest transformed one of downtown Laguna Beach’s primary streets into a pedestrian-only promenade for the summer. The effort converted a three-block section of the road from a one-way vehicular corridor with angled parking stalls into a car-free zone with cafe seating, work from local artists, and retail display areas. The project supported local businesses impacted by lost revenue associated with COVID-19.
The design introduced seven large decks, with rails made from wooden pallets and painted in a mahogany tone, as well as movable tables and chairs for additional dining space that adhered to social distancing requirements while offering alternate uses for retail display and performances. Additional elements included works by local artists, overhead string lights that provide a warm evening ambience, Adirondack chairs, umbrellas, and boxed Australian willows.
With a design that anticipated quick fabrication and installation, the Promenade on Forest offers a model to help local businesses stitch together social, environmental, and economic community fabric. Public health and safety measures were made visible through directional sidewalk and street arrows for one-way pedestrian traffic, introduction of hand washing stations, additional retail signage in the street, and visible cleaning staff.
Santa Monica North Beach Trail Improvements
While the beaches of Santa Monica are arguably one of the most iconic landscapes in Southern California, the trails running through them are less well known. Among those is the Marvin Braude Bike Trail, which runs from Mexico to Oregon and is commonly referred to as “The Strand” by locals. In recent years, The Strand bike trail had become congested and dangero...
Heights Mercantile
Heights Mercantile is a mixed-use space centered on a bike trail in the heart of the beloved Houston Heights neighborhood. It transformed vacant office and warehouse sites into a community-anchoring redevelopment featuring 16-first-to-market specialty brands and four chef-driven restaurant concepts. As the development’s backbone, adjacent hike and bike trails ...
Ricardo Lara Park
Ricardo Lara Park is a vibrant city park and a case study in landscape infrastructure. It demonstrates how a small investment and creative thinking about landscape can transform the very infrastructure that has long divided and isolated a community into an amenity that unites it, offering much-needed environmental and recreational benefits.
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Gubei Gold Street
SWA was selected to conceptualize, design, and realize a rare find in bustling Shanghai—a pedestrian mall (Gold Street). The corridor occupies three city blocks, is flanked by 20-story high-rise residential towers with retail at street level and book-ended by SWA-designed parks. Creating an iconic presence and enlivening the area, the mall features plazas, fou...