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.
Rosemont Pedestrian Bridge and Trails
The Rosemont Bridge and connecting trails layer pedestrian infrastructure onto the Buffalo Bayou corridor in Houston, Texas and is a significant step in realizing the larger vision of a more accessible Houston. Running through downtown Houston, Buffalo Bayou is one of the significant natural bayou corridors in the City, but is cut off from adjacent neighborhoo...
Houston’s Gateway Art Bridges : I-59/69 Beautification
As a city dominated by freeway infrastructure, Houston will be reconstructing portions of its iconic freeways in the near future. This created an opportunity for SWA to reclaim the Houston Interstate experience with a temporary art installation that provides a bold pop of color celebrating Houston’s diversity at eight key threshold bridges along the I-59/69 co...
Hi Line Connector
The Hi Line Connector spans one mile through Dallas’ Design District, linking two of the city’s most valuable urban core public assets: the Katy and Trinity Strand Trails. This transformative project introduces raised bike lanes and enhances the pedestrian experience by improving and realigning existing roadways. Beyond the physical infrastructure,...
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...