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 dangerous for visitors and recreational users who were crowding the concrete sidewalk at varying speeds. SWA, along with team members KPFF and Alta Design and Planning, provided a design update to this valuable recreational amenity so that all types of users can experience the space safely. Recognizing that this community amenity has a wide range of stakeholders, the design team, with the support of the City of Santa Monica, conducted community outreach to remain transparent about the process. SWA also provided support through exhibit production and by conducting interviews and open houses.
Sanshan Hillside Park
Sanshan New Town, a fast-rising urban development in Foshan City’s Nanhai District, is full of hope and vitality. In the New Town’s center lies Sanshan Hillside Park, composed of three hills known respectively as Big Pine Forest, Central Hill, and Liangangwei Hill. This area is envisioned to become an “urban forest” park with diverse programs and distinctive f...
Jeffrey Open Space Park
The Jeffrey Open Space Park represents approximately 96 acres of park and trails, with an average width of 265 ft. The three-mile long spine is designed for passive uses with a network of trails that connect to residential neighborhoods and active recreation parks.
The design process included a series of community workshops to solicit community’s commen...
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.
Here, more ...