The Wilmington Waterfront Promenade in Los Angeles has opened to the public following an extensive public landscape project by Sasaki Associates. The park seeks to improve public waterfront access near the Port of Los Angeles and expands on the 30-acre Wilmington Waterfront Park that Sasaki completed in 2011.
The new promenade, designed by Sasaki and Studio-MLA, is described by the team as “the first opportunity for the community to reconnect with the waterfront.” Among the spaces designed as part of the promenade is ‘The Landing,’ which sits at the highest point of the park, doubling as a spot for a future bridge. Meanwhile, the ‘Upland Walkways’ consists of a series of meandering paths landscaped with coastal planting.
‘The Bluff’ consists of a large, flexible open lawn intended to host community events, while the ‘Tidal Steps’ is described as a “dynamic water's edge” with small pockets of planting to create tidal pools for wildlife. Finally, ‘Picnic Pier’ comprises a large wooden deck that incorporates a play net to give unique vantage points of the water below.
The material palette for the promenade includes onyx stones along the water’s edge and wooden benches, decking, and rails to bring a sense of warmth against the industrial backdrop. As alluded to by the design of The Landing, it is envisioned that a future pedestrian bridge will connect the park with industrial port sites, creating a “grand entrance” to the harbor area.
“Los Angeles is one of the most dynamic cities in the world,” said Sasaki landscape architect Ben Boisclair about the scheme. “We’re excited we’ve expanded to LA with Sasaki’s newest office, and are honored to have worked with Wilmington, the Port of LA, and the extended community to bring Wilmington back to their waterfront. The design is deeply rooted in resilience, dynamic material selections, and diverse experiences.”
News of the promenade’s completion comes one month after Sasaki was announced as the firm to oversee the redevelopment of Santa Monica Airport into a park space. Elsewhere, the firm was recently selected to design the largest public park in Athens, Greece.
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