los angeles - the lively city

THE LIVELY CITY : LOS ANGELESStudying Pedestrian Life in the Worlds most Auto-Centric Metropolis

2ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thanks to Ted Tanner and Lorraine Aguillar of AEG Los Angeles for hosting us at the Staples Center and giving us a great tour and great information about your facilities.

CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 4

INTRODUCTION 18The Class 20Participants 22What is Liveliness 24The Endemic Problem 25Public Life | Public Space Methodology 26Liveliness and Other Urban Systems 28Lively City Timeline 30Methodology 32

LOS ANGELES: URBAN PROFILE 34Study Area 36General History 38Political Structure 40Demographics 42Climate 46Hydrology 48Current Planning Documents 50Sustainability Initiatives 54

AEG & LASED: PROFILE & MORPHOLOGY 56Global Presence of AEG 58Company Information 60Site Comparison 62Evolution 68

SOUTHPARK & LASED: DISTRICT ANALYSIS 70History of South Park Morphology 74Blocks: Historic Structure 80Block Orientation 82Parcels 84Zoning 85Streets 86Specic Street Analysis 98Parking Systems 122Downtown District: Projects 124Buildings 126Landscape 138Street Character 140Sports & Entertainment District 142Signicant Findings 144

SOUTHPARK & LASED: PUBLIC LIFE SURVEY 146Pedestrian Counts 150Stationary Activity Survey 166Age & Gender Survey 174Entrance Threshold Counts 178Detective Diagrams 200Pedestrian Interviews 208Signicant Findings 220District Projects 222

The Lively City StudioMetropolitan Design Elements 713Professors: Oliver Schulze, John Hoal, Courtney Cushard[TA]Washington University in St Louis Sam Fox School of Design & Visual ArtsGraduate School of Architecture & Urban Design

3ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 4

INTRODUCTION 18The Class 20Participants 22What is Liveliness 24The Endemic Problem 25Public Life | Public Space Methodology 26Liveliness and Other Urban Systems 28Lively City Timeline 30Methodology 32

LOS ANGELES: URBAN PROFILE 34Study Area 36General History 38Political Structure 40Demographics 42Climate 46Hydrology 48Current Planning Documents 50Sustainability Initiatives 54

AEG & LASED: PROFILE & MORPHOLOGY 56Global Presence of AEG 58Company Information 60Site Comparison 62Evolution 68

SOUTHPARK & LASED: DISTRICT ANALYSIS 70History of South Park Morphology 74Blocks: Historic Structure 80Block Orientation 82Parcels 84Zoning 85Streets 86Specic Street Analysis 98Parking Systems 122Downtown District: Projects 124Buildings 126Landscape 138Street Character 140Sports & Entertainment District 142Signicant Findings 144

SOUTHPARK & LASED: PUBLIC LIFE SURVEY 146Pedestrian Counts 150Stationary Activity Survey 166Age & Gender Survey 174Entrance Threshold Counts 178Detective Diagrams 200Pedestrian Interviews 208Signicant Findings 220District Projects 222

The Lively City StudioMetropolitan Design Elements 713Professors: Oliver Schulze, John Hoal, Courtney Cushard[TA]Washington University in St Louis Sam Fox School of Design & Visual ArtsGraduate School of Architecture & Urban Design

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY5

Methodology

Public Life Survey

District Strategy Plan & Detail Design Plan

2050 Vision

Data Analysis

Student tutorial and introducion to conducting a Publc Life Survey

Trip To Los Angeles

Students travel to LA and conduct surveys in the Downtown, South Park, and LA Live Districts

Students compile ndings into an analysis document, and develop 2050 visionof South Park and LA Live

Students develop nal studio project at the district and detail scale

Trip to Copenhagen

THE CLASS THE STUDENTS

Course Structure and ObjectivesMUD 713 explored processes and ideas of evidence-based design and the Public Life | Public Space Methodology in the context Los Angeles. Using this great city as a test-bed, students investigated synergies between urban life and urban form and how these are relevant to our culture today.

Using downtown Los Angeles as the context, the studio explored the challenge of integrating large public destinations with complex operational requirements into urban environments while making diverse and stimulating urban spaces that are accessible to visitors and nearby residents. In downtown LA, the South Park neighbor-hood is directly adjacent to the LA Live Sports and Entertainment District (LASED or LA Live) which hosts over 250 events each year. Students began with a trip to LA to perform a Public Space and Public Life Survey of South Park and LA Live, of which this book is the result. The book serves to document and organize the wealth of information gathered about the site through historical research, on-site surveys, and on-site photo documentation. Students use the book to inform their comprehensive district and detail design solutions for the South Park and LA Live neighborhood.

Taking the premise that urban liveliness is requisite to urban sustainability; students used the Public Life and Public Space Survey to gathered empirical evidence to inform their urban design solutions for the sustainable future of South Park and LA Live while addressing a condition that will continue to be a challenge in cities around the world as entertainment and large scale events become more ubiquitous.

The complete studio was comprised of the following components:

Public Life Survey/Studio Trip Students got a brief introduction to the Public Life Survey process and methodology. Then during a 5 day trip to Los Angeles, students completed 2 days of Public Life Surveys which taught them new ways of observing public urban life. Students collected data on pedestrian activities, stationary activities in plazas and parks, building entrances, transit stations, and special events. Back in St. Louis, students completed an extensive District Analysis of the study area to gain a better understanding of scale, morphology, landscape, typology, transportation, history, environment, and true physical conditions that create South Park/LA Live. Deliverable: This Book (collectively completed by the students)

2050 Vision Based on the design process outlined by FutureCityLab, students created renderings of their vision of South Park as it would be in 2050. Ideas about sustainability, urban systems, livability, entertain-ment, and urban quality permeated the renderings and they evolved as their projects developed throughout the semester.

District Strategy Plan & Detail Design Plan Students developed their ideas, visions, and survey data into clear projects at the district and detail level. Their solutions were informed by their experiences in LA, their research on liveliness and urban systems, and their vision for a Sustainable and lively South Park and LA Live.

ProfessorJohn Hoal

ProfessorOliver Schulze

TACourtney Cushard

Ke Liang

Qianqian AmandaAng

Shruti

Linda

Hao

You

Hui Ian

Mohammed Moon

Swapna Yue

Leila

WHAT IS LIVELINESS?Understanding the Importance of Liveliness

THE ENDEMIC PROBLEMSearch for Urban Quality & Liveliness

"In a Society becoming steadily more privatized with private homes, cars, computers, oces and shopping centers, the public component of our lives is disappearing. It is more and more important to make the cities inviting, so we can meet our fellow citizens face to face and experi-ence directly through our senses. Public life in good quality public spaces is an important part of a democratic life and a full life. " - Jan Gehl

It is true that we shape our cities, and they in turn shape our lives. Increasingly, the ways in which we shape and inhabit our cities are being driven by agendas of growth which desensitize or restrict the public realm from everyday life. The sphere of social space is relocating itself, largely into virtual or private spaces, depriving us of the everyday human interactions that traditionally fueled public life. Liveliness as an attribute of urbanity is replaced by a capitalistic and consumerist mindset. On the one hand, there is the increasing role of the private sector in the consumption of space, leading to greater maintenance, orchestra-tion and control over urban space. On the other hand is the preoc-cupation with safety, security and suspicion in today's urban condi-tion, that motivates people to occupy more and more controlled environments which do not expose them to any unplanned encounters. This, then, becomes a cycle. The fewer people or activities there are in a space, the more it will be avoided, thus killing all the life in the space. The reverse is also true; if a space is active, it will be occupied by even more people, and used more frequently, and thereby liveliness multiplies. In the words of William Whyte, "What attracts people most, it would appear, is other people. There is therefore an inherent desire amongst us to lead a social life, and the design of our urban spaces today needs to provide for this in an inclusive manner.

6

Methodology

Public Life Survey

District Strategy Plan & Detail Design Plan

2050 Vision

Data Analysis

THE CLASS THE STUDENTS

Course Structure and ObjectivesMUD 713 explored processes and ideas of evidence-based design and the Public Life | Public Space Methodology in the context Los Angeles. Using this great city as a test-bed, students investigated synergies between urban life and urban form and how these are relevant to our culture today.

Using downtown Los Angeles as the context, the studio explored the challenge of integrating large public destinations with complex operational requirements into urban environments while making diverse and stimulating urban spaces that are accessible to visitors and nearby residents. In downtown LA, the South Park neighbor-hood is directly adjacent to the LA Live Sports and Entertainment District (LASED or LA Live) which hosts over 250 events each year. Students began with a trip to LA to perform a Public Space and Public Life Survey of South Park and LA Live, of which this book is the result. The book serves to document and organize the wealth of information gathered about the site through historical research, on-site surveys, and on-site photo documentation. Students use the book to inform their comprehensive district and detail design solutions for the South Park and LA Live neighborhood.

Taking the premise that urban liveliness is requisite to urban sustainability; students used the Public Life and Public Space Survey to gathered empirical evidence to inform their urban design solutions for the sustainable future of South Park and LA Live while addressing a condition that will continue to be a challenge in cities around the world as entertainment and large scale events become more ubiquitous.


Public Life Survey/Studio Trip Students got a brief introduction to the Public Life Survey process and methodology. Then during a 5 day trip to Los Angeles, students completed 2 days of Public Life Surveys which taught them new ways of observing public urban life. Students collected data on pedestrian activities, stationary activities in plazas and parks, building entrances, transit stations, and special events. Back in St. Louis, students completed an extensive District Analysis of the study area to gain a better understanding of scale, morphology, landscape, typology, transportation, history, environment, and true physical conditions that create South Park/LA Live. Deliverable: This Book (collectively completed by the students)

2050 Vision Based on the design process outlined by FutureCityLab, students created renderings of their vision of South Park as it would be in 2050. Ideas about sustainability, urban systems, livability, entertain-ment, and urban quality permeated the renderings and they evolved as their projects developed throughout the semester.

District Strategy Plan & Detail Design Plan Students developed their ideas, visions, and survey data into clear projects at the district and detail level. Their solutions were informed by their experiences in LA, their research on liveliness and urban systems, and their vision for a Sustainable and lively South Park and LA Live.

ProfessorJohn Hoal

ProfessorOliver Schulze

TACourtney Cushard

Ke Liang

Qianqian AmandaAng

Shruti

Linda

Hao

You

Hui Ian

Mohammed Moon

Swapna Yue

Leila

WHAT IS LIVELINESS?Understanding the Importance of Liveliness

Liveliness is a quality of urban space, characterized by movement, activity and the presence of people. Lively spaces are safe, comfort-able and enjoyable for people to inhabit. When these characteris-tics are manifested in urban spaces, it creates a diverse public realm that can be occupied by varied social and economic groups.

A lively city provides us with opportunities to engage with other people, known and unknown to us, on many levels. If the city can maintain this positive attribute over time, it can be described as socially sustainable. The lively city is therefore an answer to an endemic problem associated with the postindustrial city in general: the increasing dispersal of people and public life.

This design studio carries out research and design activities that are rooted in the belief that people have an innate desire to nd access to stimulating and lively urban environments as part of their daily life. Access to this urban life is seen as a key performance attribute of the sustainable city, and good city design can positively aect urban life.

THE ENDEMIC PROBLEMSearch for Urban Quality & Liveliness

"In a Society becoming steadily more privatized with private homes, cars, computers, oces and shopping centers, the public component of our lives is disappearing. It is more and more important to make the cities inviting, so we can meet our fellow citizens face to face and experi-ence directly through our senses. Public life in good quality public spaces is an important part of a democratic life and a full life. " - Jan Gehl

It is true that we shape our cities, and they in turn shape our lives. Increasingly, the ways in which we shape and inhabit our cities are being driven by agendas of growth which desensitize or restrict the public realm from everyday life. The sphere of social space is relocating itself, largely into virtual or private spaces, depriving us of the everyday human interactions that traditionally fueled public life. Liveliness as an attribute of urbanity is replaced by a capitalistic and consumerist mindset. On the one hand, there is the increasing role of the private sector in the consumption of space, leading to greater maintenance, orchestra-tion and control over urban space. On the other hand is the preoc-cupation with safety, security and suspicion in today's urban condi-tion, that motivates people to occupy more and more controlled environments which do not expose them to any unplanned encounters. This, then, becomes a cycle. The fewer people or activities there are in a space, the more it will be avoided, thus killing all the life in the space. The reverse is also true; if a space is active, it will be occupied by even more people, and used more frequently, and thereby liveliness multiplies. In the words of William Whyte, "What attracts people most, it would appear, is other people. There is therefore an inherent desire amongst us to lead a social life, and the design of our urban spaces today needs to provide for this in an inclusive manner.

7

STUDY AREASouth Park & LASED in Context

PUBLIC LIFE | PUBLIC SPACE METHODOLOGY

The City of Los Angeles: Downtown Los Angeles/Central City

The City of Los Angeles is 469 Square Miles

Population: 3,792,621 (2nd largest city in the US)Density: 8,092 people per square mile

LA is both at and hilly, with the highest point at 5,074 ft at Mount Lukens.

In 2008, LA was the second most polluted city in the country, but by 2010, met its goal for providing 20% of city power from renewable resources.

44 Miles Long, 29 Miles across

The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are thefth busiest in the world.

Downtown LA

Downtown Los Angeles: South Park and LASED

Downtown LA is 5.3 square miles with a population of 45,500

LA River is a concrete channel that ows 51 miles from the San Fernando Valley, through central city, and south to the Port of Long Beach.

Ralphs is the rst supermarket in Downtown LA in 57 years.

Between 2006 and 2008, with the adaptive-reuse ordinance in fullswing, the downtown population increased by 37%.

Staples Center opened in 1999 and has contributed immensely to the

revitalization plans, adding 250 events and nearly 4,000,000 visitors per year to the neighborhood.

Downtown had its hey-day in the 1920s and 30s, with a large population,oce and entertainment development, and accessible transit.

Downtown declined as LA subrbanized.

South Park is home to the rst 2 condo buildings in California to recieve a LEED Gold rating.

Inters

tate-1

10

Interstate-10

South Park

LASED

B

A

then SPACE

rst LIFE

nally BUILDINGS

Grand Hope Park looking toward downtown

South Park Evo Lofts South Park

Evo Lofts South ParkNight event downtown LA

Downtown LA Food trucks LA

Bike event downtown LA

Bike event at Staples Center

Pico Station

8

STUDY AREASouth Park & LASED in Context

PUBLIC LIFE | PUBLIC SPACE METHODOLOGY

Los AngelesAs the second largest metropolis in the US, Los Angeles is an impor-tant urban center with unique challenges. Downtown is the historic core of the city, but has had various characters and reputations over the course of its development. Previously the center of night-life, cinema, art, and life in the 1920s and 30s, it declined through the 80s with the dominance of the car and parking lot typology. With a mix of uses but a lack of occupancy, it struggled with revitalization, but was pushed forward with the development of LA Live in the late 90s. A mixed use downtown with a nancial center, arts district, indus-trial area, residential development opportunities, and a world class sports and entertainment district became a great selling point for Downtown LA and brought renewed interest and investment to the area. South Park is beginning to form its identity as the residential neighborhood in downtown LA and is directly adjacent to LA Live, the home of four professional sports teams and numerous popular entertainment venues. South Park is still facing challenges as it develops while LA Live is a clearly established destination drawing a large crowd over 250 days each year. The studio explored the relationship between these two districts and saught an urban design strategy that will capitalze on the assets of each to push downtown LA toward a lively and sustainable future.

The City of Los Angeles: Downtown Los Angeles/Central City

The City of Los Angeles is 469 Square Miles

Population: 3,792,621 (2nd largest city in the US)Density: 8,092 people per square mile

LA is both at and hilly, with the highest point at 5,074 ft at Mount Lukens.

In 2008, LA was the second most polluted city in the country, but by 2010, met its goal for providing 20% of city power from renewable resources.

44 Miles Long, 29 Miles across

The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are thefth busiest in the world.

Downtown LA

Downtown Los Angeles: South Park and LASED

Downtown LA is 5.3 square miles with a population of 45,500

LA River is a concrete channel that ows 51 miles from the San Fernando Valley, through central city, and south to the Port of Long Beach.

Ralphs is the rst supermarket in Downtown LA in 57 years.

Between 2006 and 2008, with the adaptive-reuse ordinance in fullswing, the downtown population increased by 37%.

Staples Center opened in 1999 and has contributed immensely to the

revitalization plans, adding 250 events and nearly 4,000,000 visitors per year to the neighborhood.

Downtown had its hey-day in the 1920s and 30s, with a large population,oce and entertainment development, and accessible transit.

Downtown declined as LA subrbanized.

South Park is home to the rst 2 condo buildings in California to recieve a LEED Gold rating.

Inters

tate-1

10

Interstate-10

South Park

LASED

B

A

then SPACE

rst LIFE

nally BUILDINGS

Grand Hope Park looking toward downtown

South Park Evo Lofts South Park

Evo Lofts South ParkNight event downtown LA

Downtown LA Food trucks LA

Bike event downtown LA

Bike event at Staples Center

Pico Station

9

GLOBAL PRESENCE OF AEG Projects all over the world


Cities with AEG projects


AEG is one of the leading sports and entertainment presenters in the world. AEG, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Anschutz Company, owns or controls a collection of companies. It has successfully run 85 projects involving in four major building types in terms of arenas, stadiums, convention centers and theaters/clubs in 53 cities around the world. They own and operate LA Live, and this prole is meant to show the reach of AEG, their inuence in LA Live, and the dierence between LA Live and AEGs other facilities.

Anschutz Company

AEG FacilitiesSports

FranchisesAEG

MerchandisingAEG

Creative

Arenas

Convention Centres

Theatres

Stadiums

BasketballFranchises

HockeyFranchises

AliatesA advertising

agency

OtherTeams

AEG Global Partnerships

0

20

40

60

80

100LIVELINESS TITLESecondary TitleLA LIVE EVENTS

Small Concerts World Touring Concerts Special Events Grammy Awards LA Lakers Games Fan Fair Events LA Kings Games LA Clippers Games Movie Premiers X Games Outdoor Art Fairs World Touring Circus Grammy Lectures and Presentations

SIZE COMPARISONAEG Worldwide Comparison Study

The growing phenomenon of entertainment districts emerges from the desire to integrate multiple recreational programs under the same umbrella of ownership. In many ways, the construction of modern arenas, convention centers, sporting venues, and the like, are a function of venue owners providing a diversity of options available for consumption. As a large enterprise, AEG has undertaken the construction and establishment of many such event spaces. Size and scale of the buildings that form the campus, as well as their proximity to urban infrastructure and the encouragement or eradication of an existing grid. It is through studying other global venues of this magnitude, one comes to understand how the fabric of these large-scale urban interventions interface with existing metropolitan conditions. Through understanding other global locations, it seems that the venue acts within the existing urban fabric in one of three ways:

As a Superblock Creator

As a Green-Space/Natural Resource Activator

As an Urban Renewal Catalyst

While L.A. Live has created its own campus, while somewhat interrupting the existing urban fabric by creating superblocks, the campus provides more of a total environment (containing not only venues for events, but destinations like restaurants, clubs, and other amenities). In many ways, this approach has more potential for liveliness than the models which follow, because it distills for its visitors the intimidating scale of the city into a more approachable microcosm.

Superblock CreatorLarge arenas and convention centers interface with urban fabric by creating superblocks to accommodate the required square footage, as well as surrounding blocks to accommodate parking and other related programs. This intervention provides new challenges to street and pedestrian trac, both in reducing the surface area of roads while increasing pedestrian density at certain peak hours.

Green-Space/Natural Resource ActivatorEvent venues are often utilized to reinvigorate a natural landscape or body of water in an urban environment. Often times, though not always, these instances occur outside of the downtown area of the city. Large parks receive more pedestrian activity on event days when the venue is situated inside. The preservation of nature while servicing the venue with parking and other amenities is a challenge to this model.

Urban Renewal CatalystWhen a city is looking to attract more people and compete with other regions, new arenas are often viewed as the solution. In this sense, these venues function as a catalyst for urban renewal within the city, which can take place equally downtown as on the outskirts. In many new cities, the planning of a large convention center functions as a point of departure from which other city districts are later envisioned. This model presents challenges in that it often takes time to realize the projected liveliness and density. Often times funds are insucient to complete the whole scope of the project, and the surrounding areas of the venue detract, rather than enhance, the user experience.

L.A. LiveLos Angeles, CaliforniaLocation: South ParkVenue Area: 4 million sq ftCompleted in 2010

x 7= American Airlines Arena: Miami, Florida

x 4= SunCorp Stadium: Brisbane, Australia

x 4= Kuala Lampur Convention Center: Malaysia

x 4= Ahoy Rotterdam The Netherlands

10




Anschutz Company

AEG FacilitiesSports

FranchisesAEG

MerchandisingAEG

Creative

Arenas

Convention Centres

Theatres

Stadiums

BasketballFranchises

HockeyFranchises

AliatesA advertising

agency

OtherTeams

AEG Global Partnerships

NOKIA CLUB

NOKIA THEATER

STAPLES CENTER

THE GRAMMY MUSEUM

CONGA ROOM

REGAL CINEMA

0

20

40

60

80

100

1 10 11 1298765432

Month

Num

ber of Events

304 events in total

0

40

60

100

80

20

LIVELINESS TITLESecondary TitleLA LIVE EVENTS

in 2011, LA Live hosted 304 events.

There are ten types of entertainment events in LA live, as charities, concerts, sports, award shows, arts, comedies, and conventions. Most events occur in spring and early summer. LA Live has brought many new events to the Los Angeles area from around the country and has also relocated many of the movie premier events from other locations in the LA Area to LA Live.

Some LA Live events are as:

SOURCE: LALIVE.COM.2011 EVENTS CALENDAR

Small Concerts World Touring Concerts Special Events Grammy Awards LA Lakers Games Fan Fair Events LA Kings Games LA Clippers Games Movie Premiers X Games Outdoor Art Fairs World Touring Circus Grammy Lectures and Presentations

SIZE COMPARISONAEG Worldwide Comparison Study

The growing phenomenon of entertainment districts emerges from the desire to integrate multiple recreational programs under the same umbrella of ownership. In many ways, the construction of modern arenas, convention centers, sporting venues, and the like, are a function of venue owners providing a diversity of options available for consumption. As a large enterprise, AEG has undertaken the construction and establishment of many such event spaces. Size and scale of the buildings that form the campus, as well as their proximity to urban infrastructure and the encouragement or eradication of an existing grid. It is through studying other global venues of this magnitude, one comes to understand how the fabric of these large-scale urban interventions interface with existing metropolitan conditions. Through understanding other global locations, it seems that the venue acts within the existing urban fabric in one of three ways:

As a Superblock Creator

As a Green-Space/Natural Resource Activator

As an Urban Renewal Catalyst

While L.A. Live has created its own campus, while somewhat interrupting the existing urban fabric by creating superblocks, the campus provides more of a total environment (containing not only venues for events, but destinations like restaurants, clubs, and other amenities). In many ways, this approach has more potential for liveliness than the models which follow, because it distills for its visitors the intimidating scale of the city into a more approachable microcosm.

Superblock CreatorLarge arenas and convention centers interface with urban fabric by creating superblocks to accommodate the required square footage, as well as surrounding blocks to accommodate parking and other related programs. This intervention provides new challenges to street and pedestrian trac, both in reducing the surface area of roads while increasing pedestrian density at certain peak hours.

Green-Space/Natural Resource ActivatorEvent venues are often utilized to reinvigorate a natural landscape or body of water in an urban environment. Often times, though not always, these instances occur outside of the downtown area of the city. Large parks receive more pedestrian activity on event days when the venue is situated inside. The preservation of nature while servicing the venue with parking and other amenities is a challenge to this model.

Urban Renewal CatalystWhen a city is looking to attract more people and compete with other regions, new arenas are often viewed as the solution. In this sense, these venues function as a catalyst for urban renewal within the city, which can take place equally downtown as on the outskirts. In many new cities, the planning of a large convention center functions as a point of departure from which other city districts are later envisioned. This model presents challenges in that it often takes time to realize the projected liveliness and density. Often times funds are insucient to complete the whole scope of the project, and the surrounding areas of the venue detract, rather than enhance, the user experience.

L.A. Live

x 7= American Airlines Arena: Miami, Florida

x 4= SunCorp Stadium: Brisbane, Australia

x 4= Kuala Lampur Convention Center: Malaysia

x 4= Ahoy Rotterdam The Netherlands

11

DISTRICT ANALYSISSummary of Signicant Findings

The district analysis revealed a number characteristics that dene the public realm in the South Park district and LASED. These ndings are critical for determinging any future design initiatives for this area.

Zones and Scale

The district analysis revealed drastic dierences in scale of buildings and blocks between South Park and LA Live. In the LASED area, located in the South-West, the blocks, buildings, and street capacity is all at a larger scale than elsewhere in the district, which reects the special/entertainment uses of these areas. Other areas within the district contain more amentities for pedestrians due to their smaller scale.

Underutilized Transit Infrastructure

Despite a number of stops and routes in the area, only 10% of people take public transit in the LA Live area.

Poor Park, Landscape, and Open Space AmenitiesSeveral key urban amenities are lacking in the South Park district.

Public open space and parks represent only 2% of the district footprint, a small percentage. The district contains an unsutiable and poorly distributed tree

canopy, street trees, or landscape identity. Less than 1/2% of the district is permeable surface. More than 73% of the district is asphalt.

Surface Parking is a Dominant Land UseParking dominates the district but is most often underutilized.

79% of streets have street parking, and 26% of the district area is dedicated to parking.


Poor Street FrontageThe streets in the Southpark District contain a large number of large

building setbacks, fences and blank walls, and parking lots fronting the street, which cause a negative pedestrian experiences. There are concentrations of commercial uses in certain areas, such as the Jewelry District to the northeast, which contain a large proportion of transparent storefronts, ground oor entrances, and small setbacks, which create a positive pedestrian experience.

Strong Mix of Uses

To its benet, the Southpark district contains a wide variety of commerical uses with a variety of scales and price ranges. The nancial district is home to a variety of oce buildings, the wholesale area serves the fashion industry and fashion school. The jewelry and arts district is popular, and of course LA Live draws large crowds for major entertainment

events. The district is lacking a residential density and doesnt have numerous neighborhood amenities.

Visionary Redevelopment Projects

South Park and Downtown LA have a variety of new and innovative building and infrastructure projects in development incliding the Downtown LA Streetcar, Bring Back Broadway, Park 101, The Grand Avenue Project, and various residential developments.

B

A

Total Parking Area:~7,258,900 sf

Total Park Area:~550,000 sf

Total Ground Floor Area:~11,521,900 sf

Ground Floor Uses

Bike Lane

Planned Bike Lane

Metro Stations

Bus stops

Rapid + Local RouteSilver Liner

Local Route

Blue Line

Purple + Red Line

Comfort Walkable Range (5 Minutes)

Large FootprintMedium FootprintSmall Footprint

27%

7%

4% 4%

19%

8%

11%

5%

6%

0% 9%

12


The district analysis revealed a number characteristics that dene the public realm in the South Park district and LASED. These ndings are critical for determinging any future design initiatives for this area.

Zones and Scale

The district analysis revealed drastic dierences in scale of buildings and blocks between South Park and LA Live. In the LASED area, located in the South-West, the blocks, buildings, and street capacity is all at a larger scale than elsewhere in the district, which reects the special/entertainment uses of these areas. Other areas within the district contain more amentities for pedestrians due to their smaller scale.

Underutilized Transit Infrastructure

Despite a number of stops and routes in the area, only 10% of people take public transit in the LA Live area.

Poor Park, Landscape, and Open Space AmenitiesSeveral key urban amenities are lacking in the South Park district.

Public open space and parks represent only 2% of the district footprint, a small percentage. The district contains an unsutiable and poorly distributed tree

canopy, street trees, or landscape identity. Less than 1/2% of the district is permeable surface. More than 73% of the district is asphalt.

Surface Parking is a Dominant Land UseParking dominates the district but is most often underutilized.

79% of streets have street parking, and 26% of the district area is dedicated to parking.


Poor Street FrontageThe streets in the Southpark District contain a large number of large

building setbacks, fences and blank walls, and parking lots fronting the street, which cause a negative pedestrian experiences. There are concentrations of commercial uses in certain areas, such as the Jewelry District to the northeast, which contain a large proportion of transparent storefronts, ground oor entrances, and small setbacks, which create a positive pedestrian experience.

Strong Mix of Uses

To its benet, the Southpark district contains a wide variety of commerical uses with a variety of scales and price ranges. The nancial district is home to a variety of oce buildings, the wholesale area serves the fashion industry and fashion school. The jewelry and arts district is popular, and of course LA Live draws large crowds for major entertainment

events. The district is lacking a residential density and doesnt have numerous neighborhood amenities.

Visionary Redevelopment Projects

South Park and Downtown LA have a variety of new and innovative building and infrastructure projects in development incliding the Downtown LA Streetcar, Bring Back Broadway, Park 101, The Grand Avenue Project, and various residential developments.

B

A

Total Parking Area:~7,258,900 sf

Total Park Area:~550,000 sf

Total Ground Floor Area:~11,521,900 sf

Ground Floor Uses

ENTRANCE ENTRANCE ENTRANCE ENTRANCEWINDOW

Entertainment Buildings

Parking Structures

Single Family Residential

Multi-Family Residential

Commerce/ Retails

Mixed-use [Retail +Residential]

Institutional Buildings

Oce Buildings

Mixed-use [Retail +Oce]

Industrial Use

Hotels

Public Spaces

27%

7%

4% 4%

19%

8%

11%

5%

6%

0% 9%

Downtown LA Streetcar ProjectPark 101Bring Back Broadway

13

60%

30%

Standing and sitting are the overall predominant activities, with people standing 2x more than sitting.

0 20 40 60 80 100

JW Marriott Lobby

Gilbert Lindsay Plaza

Pico Station

Staples Center Forecourt

Nokia Plaza

90%90%

36%36%

39%

42%

93%93%

Standing is predominant at the locations directly next tot he Staples Center and sitting is predominant near retail .

Dominant Activities (per location)Dominant Activities (all locations)

60%

30%




JW Marriott

Staples CenterStanding and sitting are the overall predominant activities with people standing 2x more than sitting

Dominant Activities (all locations) Dominant Activities (per location)PUBLIC LIFE SURVEYSummary of Signicant Findings

The public life survey revealed a number characteristics that dene the public realm in the South Park district and LASED. These ndings are critical for determining any future design initiatives for this area.

Impact of Game Day/Special EventsThe public life survey conrmed the dramatic impact of special events on numbers of pedestrians present on the streets. For the streets surrounding LA Live numbers of pedestrians traveling between entrances to the complex and parking facilities increases

dramatically from typical levels. The streets surrounding the complex had dramatically higher levels of pedestrians during game days, while on average the streets in South Park closest to Downtown to the north were nearly twice as active as the streets surrounding LA Live, when lulls between games are included in calculations.

East-West MovementWhile the majority of blocks have primary entrances on the long

side running north and south, Known as the A sides, there is more pedestrian movement east and west along the short sides which lack entrances, known as the B sides. This could suggest a few things, for example: that long block deter pedestrian movement, or that there are more destinations to the east and west of the district than there are north and south.

Stationary Activities

The survey illustrated a drammatic nead for adequate places for sitting, especially in the areas surrounding LA Live. Overall, standing composes 60% of the stationary activities, but outside LA Live, standing composes 90% or more of activities, especially during game times. The lack of resting areas within the plazas make them

transient places that limit the amount of liveliness and interaction that can happen there. JW Marriott Lobby has the widest diveristy of acitivty. The Staples Center Forecourt has the most activity and is the most occupied. Pico Station has the least activity of all spaces surveyed.

Gender DierentialThe survey found that throughout the district there was a

greater percentage of Males in all public spaces. This dierential was increased during game times and special events at LA Live.

Prevalence of AutomobileThrough surveys students determined that a high percentage,

over 90% of people in the district use a car for all transportation needs, frequently travelling from destinations across the wider region. The work by the students in the detective role reveals that a high percentage of those that do use public transportation must connect to their nal destination via a bus, or often walk over 1,000 feet to arrive at their destination.

Entrance usage variesBecause The Staples Center has the greatest capacity and was hosting a large event, it had the most people passing through the

entrance. The pedestrian movement generated by this event did not have a great impact on other commercial and residential uses surrounding LA Live, so we understand that the events of LA Live do not bring foot trac to other buildings, they only contribute to activity on the streets and to buildings contained within LASED.

PUBLIC LIFE SURVEYSummary of Signicant Findings

Comparison: Busiest Street per Zone

Flower Street between Flower Street between Flower Street between Flower Street between Flower Street between Flower Street between Flower Street between Flower Street between Flower Street between Flower Street between Flower Street between Olympic & 9thOlympic & 9thOlympic & 9thOlympic & 9thOlympic & 9thOlympic & 9thOlympic & 9thOlympic & 9thOlympic & 9thOlympic & 9thOlympic & 9thOlympic & 9thOlympic & 9thOlympic & 9thOlympic & 9thOlympic & 9thOlympic & 9thOlympic & 9thOlympic & 9thOlympic & 9thOlympic & 9th

Olympic between Figueroa & FlowerOlympic between Figueroa & FlowerOlympic between Figueroa & FlowerOlympic between Figueroa & FlowerOlympic between Figueroa & FlowerOlympic between Figueroa & FlowerOlympic between Figueroa & FlowerOlympic between Figueroa & FlowerOlympic between Figueroa & FlowerOlympic between Figueroa & FlowerOlympic between Figueroa & FlowerOlympic between Figueroa & FlowerOlympic between Figueroa & FlowerOlympic between Figueroa & FlowerOlympic between Figueroa & FlowerOlympic between Figueroa & FlowerOlympic between Figueroa & FlowerOlympic between Figueroa & FlowerOlympic between Figueroa & FlowerOlympic between Figueroa & FlowerOlympic between Figueroa & FlowerOlympic between Figueroa & FlowerOlympic between Figueroa & FlowerOlympic between Figueroa & FlowerOlympic between Figueroa & FlowerOlympic between Figueroa & FlowerOlympic between Figueroa & FlowerOlympic between Figueroa & FlowerOlympic between Figueroa & FlowerOlympic between Figueroa & FlowerOlympic between Figueroa & FlowerOlympic between Figueroa & FlowerOlympic between Figueroa & FlowerOlympic between Figueroa & FlowerOlympic between Figueroa & FlowerOlympic between Figueroa & FlowerOlympic between Figueroa & FlowerOlympic between Figueroa & FlowerOlympic between Figueroa & FlowerOlympic between Figueroa & FlowerOlympic between Figueroa & FlowerOlympic between Figueroa & FlowerOlympic between Figueroa & Flower

Figueroa between Figueroa between Figueroa between Figueroa between Figueroa between Figueroa between Figueroa between Figueroa between Figueroa between Figueroa between Figueroa between Figueroa between Figueroa between Figueroa between Figueroa between Figueroa between Figueroa between Figueroa between Figueroa between Figueroa between Figueroa between Figueroa between Figueroa between Figueroa between Figueroa between Figueroa between Figueroa between Figueroa between Olympic & 9thOlympic & 9thOlympic & 9thOlympic & 9thOlympic & 9thOlympic & 9thOlympic & 9thOlympic & 9thOlympic & 9thOlympic & 9th

Percentage Daily Pedestrian Trac by Surveyed Areas

Streets Bordering L.A. Live:

Streets East of L.A. Live:

Streets North of L.A. Live:

10%22%

68%

21,426

Total Number of Pedestrians Moving in the North-South DirectionTotal Number of Pedestrians Moving in the East-West Direction

29,538

4.5%

91.0%

How did you get here?

14

4 5 1 2

3 75 63 75 63 75 63 75 63 75 66 1 4 46 1 4 46 1 4 46 1 4 46 1 4 46 1 4 46 1 4 4

5 74 25 74 25 74 25 74 24 0 0 24 0 0 24 0 0 24 0 0 24 0 0 24 0 0 24 0 0 2

8 3 3 48 3 3 48 3 3 48 3 3 48 3 3 4

1 0 3 8 01 0 3 8 01 0 3 8 01 0 3 8 01 0 3 8 01 0 3 8 01 0 3 8 01 0 3 8 01 0 3 8 01 0 3 8 01 0 3 8 01 0 3 8 01 0 3 8 0

1 9 6 2 3 6 0

1 9 6 8 61 9 6 8 61 9 6 8 61 9 6 8 61 9 6 8 61 9 6 8 61 9 6 8 61 9 6 8 61 9 6 8 61 9 6 8 61 9 6 8 61 9 6 8 61 9 6 8 61 9 6 8 61 9 6 8 6

4 744 744 744 744 744 744 744 744 74

5 5 2

2 3 42 3 4

1 1 2 2

1 2 721 2 721 2 721 2 72

70 870 8

72 6

6 9 66 9 6

Metro Center Flower & 7th St. EntranceMetro Center Flower & 7th St. EntranceMetro Center Flower & 7th St. EntranceMetro Center Flower & 7th St. EntranceMetro Center Flower & 7th St. EntranceMetro Center Flower & 7th St. EntranceMetro Center Flower & 7th St. EntranceMetro Center Flower & 7th St. Entrance

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> >ie

Caeri o Zeieal

Small Commercial

Entry Utilization Within the Site

64%64%25%

11%11%11%11%11%11%11%

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

Over 6430-6415-30 7-14 0-6

5 pm

60%

30%




60%

30%




JW Marriott

Staples CenterStanding and sitting are the overall predominant activities with people standing 2x more than sitting

Dominant Activities (all locations) Dominant Activities (per location)PUBLIC LIFE SURVEYSummary of Signicant Findings

The public life survey revealed a number characteristics that dene the public realm in the South Park district and LASED. These ndings are critical for determining any future design initiatives for this area.

Impact of Game Day/Special EventsThe public life survey conrmed the dramatic impact of special events on numbers of pedestrians present on the streets. For the streets surrounding LA Live numbers of pedestrians traveling between entrances to the complex and parking facilities increases

dramatically from typical levels. The streets surrounding the complex had dramatically higher levels of pedestrians during game days, while on average the streets in South Park closest to Downtown to the north were nearly twice as active as the streets surrounding LA Live, when lulls between games are included in calculations.

East-West MovementWhile the majority of blocks have primary entrances on the long

side running north and south, Known as the A sides, there is more pedestrian movement east and west along the short sides which lack entrances, known as the B sides. This could suggest a few things, for example: that long block deter pedestrian movement, or that there are more destinations to the east and west of the district than there are north and south.

Stationary Activities

The survey illustrated a drammatic nead for adequate places for sitting, especially in the areas surrounding LA Live. Overall, standing composes 60% of the stationary activities, but outside LA Live, standing composes 90% or more of activities, especially during game times. The lack of resting areas within the plazas make them

transient places that limit the amount of liveliness and interaction that can happen there. JW Marriott Lobby has the widest diveristy of acitivty. The Staples Center Forecourt has the most activity and is the most occupied. Pico Station has the least activity of all spaces surveyed.

Gender DierentialThe survey found that throughout the district there was a

greater percentage of Males in all public spaces. This dierential was increased during game times and special events at LA Live.

Prevalence of AutomobileThrough surveys students determined that a high percentage,

over 90% of people in the district use a car for all transportation needs, frequently travelling from destinations across the wider region. The work by the students in the detective role reveals that a high percentage of those that do use public transportation must connect to their nal destination via a bus, or often walk over 1,000 feet to arrive at their destination.

Entrance usage variesBecause The Staples Center has the greatest capacity and was hosting a large event, it had the most people passing through the

entrance. The pedestrian movement generated by this event did not have a great impact on other commercial and residential uses surrounding LA Live, so we understand that the events of LA Live do not bring foot trac to other buildings, they only contribute to activity on the streets and to buildings contained within LASED.

PUBLIC LIFE SURVEYSummary of Signicant Findings

10%22%

68%

29,538

Car

Foot

Bus

Metro

Bike

N/A

4.5%4.5%

91.0%

How did you get here?

15

DESIGN PROJECTSSelected Student Final Projects

Safety and LightDrawing on her experiences during the survey, You devel-oped a strategy to create a district that was lively and inhab-ited 24 hours a day. Her strategy includes adding lighting facilities to improve safety of the public space, adding new buildings to ll vacant land area, adding new public spaces in order to provide more opportunities for public interaction, and adding ground oor retail to increase nighttime activites.

Her proposal included specic ideas about building form and adaptive reuse to increase the openness to the street, lightinging and eyes on the street, ground oor access, lighting, and activity. Streetscape design is particular to building use and changes throughout the district according to the type of street. Public spaces are programmed for day and night actitives with special lighting features to encour-age nighttime activity.

Following the District Analysis and Pubilc Life Survey, students completed nal vision, district, and detail design projects. These are six samples of their work:

Water and the Public RealmUnderstanding the water challenges for a city so heavily dominated by cars and car infrastructure (roads, highways, parking lots, etc.) and a downtown neighborhood struggling with open space, liveliness, and vacancy; Ian took on the urban systems related to water as a challenge and an asset to create a lively district around LA Live.

His strategy involved creating a variety of typologies for streets, spaces and buildings that use rain water in sustain-able but active ways to enliven the pubilc realm with a system that is usually relegated to underground manage-ment systems.

Times Square WestBuilding from the capacity of people that LA Live generates, Kes idea is to create a district with a great density of entertainment and exciting activities that spill out from buildings to create an exciting district that rivals Times Square. Her district strategies involves innovative building facades, transparent street fronts, additional outdoor public spaces, a multifunctional central plaza, and a great avenue to link them all.

Unique CorridorsMohammed created a plan to de-centralize the parking system to guide pedestrian ows in the district along 3 distinct corridors that oer dierent experiences and dierent set of amenities. Multi-use buidings and open spaces are created to encourage 24 hour use and the district is linked by these corridors to make it more friendly for pedestrians, cyclists, transit, and cars.

Economic and Innovation HubBuilding on the possibilities for large and small scale develop-ment in South Park, Shruti developed a system for supporting large and small scale pubilc spaces and buildings that will oer various spaces for job, housing, commercial and other kinds of development, particularly focused around entrepe-neurial economies.

Various scales of public spaces accomodate dierent social interactions that allow for a mix of events to happen in public rather than in private. The small scale development and alarge scale developemtn like LA Live are contrasted and mixed within the district to create a vibrant and textured city.

Urban NeighborhoodsNoticing the opportunity to create distinct neighborhoods with appropriately scale public spaces, Linda focused on aligning various transpotation types - public transit, bikes, cars, walking - with various new core neighborhoods. Each neighborhood capitalizes on its most appropriate transpor-tation system which, along with properly scaled and programmed buildings, creates 5 distinct places within downtown LA. Each creates new life on the street, with clever streetscapes and public spaces that support a vibrant urban lifestyle.

FIGUEROA CORRIDORAxonometric View

OLYMPIC PLACE

METROPOLIS

L.A CENTRAL

FARMERS FIELD

7TH @ FIG MALL

11 .5 STREET11 TH STREET

12 TH STREET

PICO STREET

12.5 STREET

PICO PLACE

FIGUEROA STREET

M

S

SPATIAL QUALITIES TO FOSTER AN INNOVATIVE ECONOMY

AC TIVE ENVIRONMENTS THAT SUPPORT ENTREPRENEUR AL AC TIVIT Y

FESTIVE SPACES

HIDEAWAYS

RETREAT AREAS

HYPER COLLABORATIVE ZONESSocial Engagement

structured thought / observation

Reection

Visibility , opportunity

According to studies conducted by the Harved School on their Innovation lab, the best environments for generating and sustaining an innovative captial are places that have three distint spatial qualities -

a. HYPER COLLABORATIVE SPACESb. RETREAT SPACESc. HIDEAWAYs

At the present time, there is no foundation for the creation of these spatial qualities within the fabric of the city in downtown Los Angeles

The goals, therefore, in reshaping the downtown space of South Park are :

1. To create an anchor through place-making for the innovative and entrepreneural economy in South Park2. To create a range of spatial conditions that allow for various interfaces with the public realm and generates a rich patchwork of urban spaces3. To project this diverse quality as a compelling image for South Park, co-existing and contrasting with the big urban economy of leisure and entertainment

GOALS

GRADATION IN PUBLIC INTERACTION VS PERSONAL SPACE

M

M

M

[neighboring nuclei]

= 5,000 people

2050

2012

L.A. L

ive

sout

h pa

rkdo

wnt

own

l.a.

=30,000 visitors daily (average)

=4,797 population;

nearly 1/6 of L.A. Lives average daily visitors

=

of the 500,000 people who work in DTLA,

only 24% of employees actually live downtown

=5,304 people/square mile

>7,877 people/square mile

density of L.A.

v

12,750 people/square mile

density of Chicago

v


density of N.Y.C.

neighborhood locationsneighborhood elements district framework plan

multi-family residential

parks/plazas

entertainment

surface parking

oce buildingsinstitutional

commercial/retail

industrial

hotelsparking building

metro line- ground level

existing metro station

metro line- underground

existing bus stops

existing vehicular artery

Linda Levin

=29,538 pedestrians travelled on N-S streets

on game day, of streets survyed

21,426 pedestrians travelled on E-W streets

on game day, of streets surveyed

residential clusters streetcar route shared streets bike infrastructure

multi-family residential commercial oce buildings surface parking

of the 45,518 residents of downtown,

57% of the residents also work downtown

vision: to connect unique civic, cultural, and historical ameni-ties in a pedestrian friendly way that en-courages people to live, work, and visit

south park.

10 minute walk between neighborhoods

L.A

. Liv

e Fu

ture

Dev

elop

men

t

n01

n02

n03

n04

n05

(n-s) broadway -main (e-w) 7th - 4th

(n-s) hill -main (e-w) olympic - 8th

(n-s) olive -main (e-w) pico - 11th

(n-s) gueroa-grand (e-w) 15th - pico

(n-s) gueroa-grand (e-w) olympic - 8th

pico blvd.

olympic blvd.

7th st.

mai

n st

.

s. br

oadw

ay

gran

d av

e.

gue

roa

st.

Section c

Section a

figu

ero

a st

reet

flow

er s

tree

t

ho

pe

stre

et

gra

nd

ave

nu

e

shared street SHARED street

4th

str

eet

5th

str

eet

6th

str

eet

7th

str

eet

8th

str

eet

9th

str

eet

oly

mp

ic b

lvd

.

11th

str

eet

12th

str

eet

new PUBLIC SPACE new PUBLIC SPACESHARED streetSHARED street

SHARED street

Section b

flow

er s

tree

t

ho

pe

stre

et

gra

nd

ave

nu

e

figu

ero

a st

reet

oliv

e st

reet

hill

str

eet

s. b

road

way

spri

ng

str

eet

mai

n s

tree

t

M

M

M


= 5,000 people

2050

2012

L.A. L

ive

sout

h pa

rkdo

wnt

own

l.a.


=4,797 population;


=





density of L.A.

v


density of Chicago

v


density of N.Y.C.



parks/plazas

entertainment

surface parking


commercial/retail

industrial





existing bus stops


Linda Levin










south park.


L.A

. Liv

e Fu

ture

Dev

elop

men

t

n01

n02

n03

n04

n05






pico blvd.

olympic blvd.

7th st.

mai

n st

.

s. br

oadw

ay

gran

d av

e.

gue

roa

st.

Section c

Section a

figu

ero

a st

reet

flow

er s

tree

t

ho

pe

stre

et

gra

nd

ave

nu

e


4th

str

eet

5th

str

eet

6th

str

eet

7th

str

eet

8th

str

eet

9th

str

eet

oly

mp

ic b

lvd

.

11th

str

eet

12th

str

eet


SHARED street

Section b

flow

er s

tree

t

ho

pe

stre

et

gra

nd

ave

nu

e

figu

ero

a st

reet

oliv

e st

reet

hill

str

eet

s. b

road

way

spri

ng

str

eet

mai

n s

tree

t

Threshold

Important Threshold

GarageAlley( Car path to the garage)

Alley( Car path to the garage)Garage

PedestrianPath to thegarage


Mix-use Building(Residential + Retail) Mix-use Building(Residential + Retail)Automobile lanesTransparent Street Facade

Transparent Street Facade

Bus Stop

Bike Lane

Bike Par-king

Lighting From Indoor Spaces


Lighting For the Public Spaces

Lighting For Bus Stop

Lighting For Pedestrain


Lighting For Bike LaneLighting For Automobiles

Strategy 1: Add lighting facilities

Basic lighting requirement

Entertainment lighting

Publicspaces

Sidewalk Bike laneAutomobile lanePublicspace


Strategy 2: Add New Buildings (Ground Floor Retail+Residential)

Important Threshold: 1~ 2 stories

Threshold: 3 ~ 5 stories

Building facade with balcony

First story: retail + transparent building facade

Second Story: building facade friendly to the street


24 HOURS INHABITATED STREET FOR SOUTH PARK DISTRICT STRATEGYLIVELY CITY MUD PROGRAM SP2012 YOU LI

16

DESIGN PROJECTSSelected Student Final Projects

Safety and LightDrawing on her experiences during the survey, You devel-oped a strategy to create a district that was lively and inhab-ited 24 hours a day. Her strategy includes adding lighting facilities to improve safety of the public space, adding new buildings to ll vacant land area, adding new public spaces in order to provide more opportunities for public interaction, and adding ground oor retail to increase nighttime activites.

Her proposal included specic ideas about building form and adaptive reuse to increase the openness to the street, lightinging and eyes on the street, ground oor access, lighting, and activity. Streetscape design is particular to building use and changes throughout the district according to the type of street. Public spaces are programmed for day and night actitives with special lighting features to encour-age nighttime activity.

Following the District Analysis and Pubilc Life Survey, students completed nal vision, district, and detail design projects. These are six samples of their work:

Water and the Public RealmUnderstanding the water challenges for a city so heavily dominated by cars and car infrastructure (roads, highways, parking lots, etc.) and a downtown neighborhood struggling with open space, liveliness, and vacancy; Ian took on the urban systems related to water as a challenge and an asset to create a lively district around LA Live.

His strategy involved creating a variety of typologies for streets, spaces and buildings that use rain water in sustain-able but active ways to enliven the pubilc realm with a system that is usually relegated to underground manage-ment systems.

Times Square WestBuilding from the capacity of people that LA Live generates, Kes idea is to create a district with a great density of entertainment and exciting activities that spill out from buildings to create an exciting district that rivals Times Square. Her district strategies involves innovative building facades, transparent street fronts, additional outdoor public spaces, a multifunctional central plaza, and a great avenue to link them all.

Unique CorridorsMohammed created a plan to de-centralize the parking system to guide pedestrian ows in the district along 3 distinct corridors that oer dierent experiences and dierent set of amenities. Multi-use buidings and open spaces are created to encourage 24 hour use and the district is linked by these corridors to make it more friendly for pedestrians, cyclists, transit, and cars.

Economic and Innovation HubBuilding on the possibilities for large and small scale develop-ment in South Park, Shruti developed a system for supporting large and small scale pubilc spaces and buildings that will oer various spaces for job, housing, commercial and other kinds of development, particularly focused around entrepe-neurial economies.

Various scales of public spaces accomodate dierent social interactions that allow for a mix of events to happen in public rather than in private. The small scale development and alarge scale developemtn like LA Live are contrasted and mixed within the district to create a vibrant and textured city.

Urban NeighborhoodsNoticing the opportunity to create distinct neighborhoods with appropriately scale public spaces, Linda focused on aligning various transpotation types - public transit, bikes, cars, walking - with various new core neighborhoods. Each neighborhood capitalizes on its most appropriate transpor-tation system which, along with properly scaled and programmed buildings, creates 5 distinct places within downtown LA. Each creates new life on the street, with clever streetscapes and public spaces that support a vibrant urban lifestyle.

FIGUEROA CORRIDORAxonometric View

OLYMPIC PLACE

METROPOLIS

L.A CENTRAL

FARMERS FIELD

7TH @ FIG MALL

11 .5 STREET11 TH STREET

12 TH STREET

PICO STREET

12.5 STREET

PICO PLACE

FIGUEROA STREET

M

S

SPATIAL QUALITIES TO FOSTER AN INNOVATIVE ECONOMY

AC TIVE ENVIRONMENTS THAT SUPPORT ENTREPRENEUR AL AC TIVIT Y

FESTIVE SPACES

HIDEAWAYS

RETREAT AREAS

HYPER COLLABORATIVE ZONESSocial Engagement

structured thought / observation

Reection

Visibility , opportunity

According to studies conducted by the Harved School on their Innovation lab, the best environments for generating and sustaining an innovative captial are places that have three distint spatial qualities -

a. HYPER COLLABORATIVE SPACESb. RETREAT SPACESc. HIDEAWAYs

At the present time, there is no foundation for the creation of these spatial qualities within the fabric of the city in downtown Los Angeles

The goals, therefore, in reshaping the downtown space of South Park are :

1. To create an anchor through place-making for the innovative and entrepreneural economy in South Park2. To create a range of spatial conditions that allow for various interfaces with the public realm and generates a rich patchwork of urban spaces3. To project this diverse quality as a compelling image for South Park, co-existing and contrasting with the big urban economy of leisure and entertainment

GOALS

GRADATION IN PUBLIC INTERACTION VS PERSONAL SPACE

M

M

M


= 5,000 people

2050

2012

L.A. L

ive

sout

h pa

rkdo

wnt

own

l.a.


=4,797 population;


=





density of L.A.

v


density of Chicago

v


density of N.Y.C.



parks/plazas

entertainment

surface parking


commercial/retail

industrial





existing bus stops


Linda Levin










south park.


L.A

. Liv

e Fu

ture

Dev

elop

men

t

n01

n02

n03

n04

n05






pico blvd.

olympic blvd.

7th st.

mai

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.

s. br

oadw

ay

gran

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gue

roa

st.

Section c

Section a

figu

ero

a st

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SHARED street

Section b

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M

M

M


= 5,000 people

2050

2012

L.A. L

ive

sout

h pa

rkdo

wnt

own

l.a.


=4,797 population;


=





density of L.A.

v


density of Chicago

v


density of N.Y.C.



parks/plazas

entertainment

surface parking


commercial/retail

industrial





existing bus stops


Linda Levin










south park.


L.A

. Liv

e Fu

ture

Dev

elop

men

t

n01

n02

n03

n04

n05






pico blvd.

olympic blvd.

7th st.

mai

n st

.

s. br

oadw

ay

gran

d av

e.

gue

roa

st.

Section c

Section a

figu

ero

a st

reet

flow

er s

tree

t

ho

pe

stre

et

gra

nd

ave

nu

e


4th

str

eet

5th

str

eet

6th

str

eet

7th

str

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8th

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9th

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oly

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11th

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12th

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SHARED street

Section b

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Threshold

Important Threshold

GarageAlley( Car path to the garage)

Alley( Car path to the garage)Garage



Mix-use Building(Residential + Retail) Mix-use Building(Residential + Retail)Automobile lanesTransparent Street Facade

Transparent Street Facade

Bus Stop

Bike Lane

Bike Par-king



Lighting For the Public Spaces

Lighting For Bus Stop



Lighting For Bike LaneLighting For Automobiles

Strategy 1: Add lighting facilities



Publicspaces

Sidewalk Bike laneAutomobile lanePublicspace


Strategy 2: Add New Buildings (Ground Floor Retail+Residential)

Important Threshold: 1~ 2 stories

Threshold: 3 ~ 5 stories

Building facade with balcony

First story: retail + transparent building facade

Second Story: building facade friendly to the street


24 HOURS INHABITATED STREET FOR SOUTH PARK DISTRICT STRATEGYLIVELY CITY MUD PROGRAM SP2012 YOU LI

17

INTRODUCTION19

THE CLASSCourse Structure and ObjectivesMUD 713 is the second of three design studios in Master of Urban Design program at Washington University in St. Louis. The studio studies urban conditions in a major North American Metropolis. This year, the academic focus of the studio is the exploration of people-focused design works in the context Los Angeles. Using this great city as a test-bed, we investigated synergies between urban life and urban form and how these are relevant to our urban culture today. The professional practice dimension of this studio critically looks at how we can make sense of the city through observational studies and how this process can transform the services carried out by the professions involved in design of buildings, open spaces and public infrastructures in cities.

Using downtown Los Angeles as the context, the studio explored the challenge of integrating large public destinations with complex operational requirements into urban environments while making diverse and stimulating urban spaces that are accessible to visitors and nearby residents. In downtown LA, the South Park neighbor-hood is directly adjacent to the LA Live Sports and Entertainment District (LASED or LA Live) which hosts over 250 events each year. Students investigated synergies between urban life and urban form with an evidence-based design process beginning with an exten-sive Public Space and Public Life Survey of South Park and LA Live, of which this book is the result. The book serves to document and organize the wealth of information gathered about the site through historical research, on-site surveys, and on-site photo documenta-tion. Students use the book to inform their comprehensive district and detail design solutions for the South Park and LA Live neighbor-hood.

Taking the premise that urban liveliness is requisite to urban sustainability; students used the Public Life and Public Space Survey to gather evidence about existing urban liveliness and the physical conditions that support it. This empirical evidence informed their urban design solutions for the sustainable future of South Park and LA Live while addressing a condition that will continue to be a challenge in cities around the world as entertainment and large scale events become more ubiquitous.


In Class Methodology DevelopmentStudents were rst briefed on a wide range of methodologies for understanding the characteristics of Urban Space. In particular, the students delved deeply into the mehtodology of public space and public live surveys utilized by Gehl Architects and William H Whyte.

Public Life Survey/Studio Trip Students got a brief introduction to the Public Life Survey process and methodology. Then during a 5 day trip to Los Angeles, students completed 2 days of Public Life Surveys which taught them new ways of observing public urban life. Students collected data on pedestrian activities, stationary activities in plazas and parks, building entrances, transit stations, and special events. This data served as a factual and informative starting point from which to shape design proposals for the South Park/LA Live neighborhood. Back in St. Louis, students completed an extensive District Analysis of the study area to gain a better understanding of scale, morphol-ogy, landscape, typology, transportation, history, environment, and true physical conditions that create South Park/LA Live. Deliverable: This Book (collectively completed by the students)

2050 Vision:

Methodology Public Life SurveyDistrict Strategy Plan

&Detail Design Plan

2050 Vision

District & Survey Data

Analysis

Student tutorial and introducion to conducting a Publc Life Survey

Trip To Los Angeles

Students travel to LA and conduct surveys in the Downtown, South Park, and LA Live Districts

20

THE CLASS To envision and design a lively and sustainable future for South Park and LA Live, students followed the visioning process outlined byFuture City Lab to create a rendering of the South Park/LA Live District as it will be in 2050. The 2050 vision, timeline and infographic frame challenges and ideas for the District and capture the essence of the public space and public life of 2050.Deliverables: 24 x 36 rendering of South Park/LA Live in 2050, a time-line of events that lead to that vision, and an infographic representing the major ideas behind the vision and design

District Strategic Plan:Using the 2050 vision and the extensive survey data, students worked individually to develop a comprehensive District Strategic Plan addressing the future of public space and individual design projects that supports and their concept of liveliness and sustainability in South Park / LA Live. Deliverable: Final presentation boards presented the District Plan, 4 Sections, a Phasing Plan, Perspective or Axonometric images of important areas in the district, and supporting diagrams as necessary.

Detail Design Plan:Selecting a smaller study area, students then created a Detail Design Plan that expresses the area-wide design strategies in design proposals for select key public spaces and the buildings that around them.Deliverable: Final presentation boards included an illustrated plan, streetscape plans, street sections, perspective images, and programming plans.

Select BibliographyChase, J. M. Crawford, & J. Kaliski.(Eds.). (1999). Everyday urbanism. Montacelli Press.

Ellin, N. (2006). Integral urbanism. New York: Routledge.

Frank, K. A. & Q. Stevens (Eds.). (2007). Loose space: possibility and diversity in urban life. New York: Routledge.

Gehl Architects. (2010). Public life survey manual. Copenhagen: Gehl Architects.

Gehl, J. (2010). Cities for people. Washington D.C.: Island Press.

Gehl, J. & L. Gemzoe. (2004). Public spaces, public life. Copenhagen: Danish Architectural Press.

Hou, J. (Ed.). (2010). Insurgent public space: guerrilla urbanism and the remaking of contemporary cities. New York: Routledge.

Jacobs, A. (1995). Great streets. Cambridge: MIT Press.

Lynch, K. (1981). The image of the city. Cambridge: MIT Press.

Margolis, L. & A. Robinson (2007). Living systems. Berlin; Basel; Boston: Birkhauser Vertag AG.

Whyte, W. H. (2001). The social life of small urban spaces (second edition). NY: Project for Public Spaces.

Methodology Public Life SurveyDistrict Strategy Plan

&Detail Design Plan

2050 Vision

District & Survey Data

Analysis

Students compile ndings into an analysis document, and develop 2050 visionof South Park and LA Live

Students develop nal studio project at the district and detail scale

Trip to Copenhagen

21

JOHN HOALAssociate ProfessorChair MUD, WUSTL.St.Louis, MO

LIVELINESS TITLESecondary Title

ANG GAOMUDAnhui, China.

ANG GAONerdMUDXXXX, China.


KE SHI MUDChina.


OLIVER SCHULZEInstructorGEHL ArchitectsCopenhagen , Denmark.


AMANDA TEXASMARCH + MUDFlorida, USA.


LEILA SHAHRAMPOURMUDTehran, Iran.


YANG QIANQIANMUDBeijing, China.










COURTNEY CUSHARDTeaching AssistantMUDSt. Louis, MO


LIANG LIANGMARCH + MUDZengzhou, China.


SHRUTI SHANKARMUDChennai, India.








ANG GAOMUDXXXX, China.


ANG GAOMUDXXXX, China.