“The Experiment” Fall 2019 – design by Rios Clementi Hale Studios and Gehl, fabricated by Pink Sparrow
“Flexible Flow” southern gateway to Promenade 3.0 | rendering by RCHStudios
“Active Amenities” central event space | rendering by RCHStudios
Since it first opened in 1989, Third Street Promenade established itself as one of the most successful, iconic and imitated public spaces in the world. But in the past three decades, the retail, entertainment, dining landscape brought on by online-retailers, streaming video, “fast-casual” restaurants and delivery apps has changed dramatically, challenging the traditional tenant mix that sustained the Promenade’s success, while the competition for great urban places has also increased across the region. Although its location and reputation are unique assets, the Promenade’s continued success depends on evolving to accommodate changing times.
To actively guide this evolution, in early 2018 the City of Santa Monica and Downtown Santa Monica Inc. initiated an effort dubbed “Promenade 3.0” to develop a comprehensive place-making overview of the street, and engaged Rios Clementi Hale Studios and Gehl People to design the street’s next iteration.
A key element in the design process was The Experiment – a public space laboratory deployed in summer 2019. Utilizing the tools of “tactical urbanism” The Experiment explored concepts, hypothesis, and proposals for under consideration by the design team. Each pilot “tested” a proposition: freestanding picnic tables gauged the desire to get food to go and eat with family, friends, strangers; a play landscape engaged “play for all ages” and create new opportunities for families with children to visit; movable chairs asked if people would rather sit in small social groups instead of fixed seating. As with any test, metrics through observations and data counts were used to evaluate success of various elements, and guide design decisions. The Experiment was thus a real-world public engagement test of possible designs and a prudent process when considering a multi-million dollar public works project.
The proposed design extrapolates the lessons of The Experiment and reimagines the iconic street into a “Ramblas” form – repurposing the center 25 feet into a flexible linear corridor that can be programmed and designed for a wide range of activities. Imagined within this Ramblas section are shaded outdoor dining, beer gardens, farmers market tents, play areas, interactive fountains, formal and informal stages for performances, concession pavilions, new artwork and gardens, and other community-oriented amenities.
Guiding this design is a premise about the nature of public space in the 21st century: whereas the combination of entertainment and shopping was a sure-fire formula to create vibrant public spaces in the pre-internet age, today a robust civic commons is necessary to sustain a healthy retail district as competing shopping malls and streets focus on cultural facilities, pop-up retail and unique events to entice visitors.
As City Urban Designer, Alan Loomis was the lead urban designer on Santa Monica’s “Promenade 3.0” project team.
Press:
“How Santa Monica’s Pedestrian Mall Became Too Successful For Its Own Good” Curbed LA [May 22, 2020]
“Santa Monica Rethinks the Promenade” LA Business Journal [January 31, 2020]
“Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade Will Undergo Transformative Master Plan” The Architect’s Newspaper [November 14, 2019]
“The Rebirth of the Third Street Promenade” Fairmont Miramar Hotel Blog [November 11, 2019]
“Can Major Overhaul Revive Third Street Promenade?” Santa Monica Mirror [November 11, 2019]
“‘Bold’ Plan to Transform the Promenade Gets Go-Ahead from Council” Santa Monica Lookout [November 7, 2019]
“City Council Supports Third Street Promenade Redesign” Santa Monica Daily Press [November 7, 2019]
“Santa Monica Moves Forward With New Master Plan for the Third Street Promenade” Urbanize LA [November 6, 2019]
“City Council To Review Promenade Redesign Concepts” Santa Monica Daily Press [November 4, 2019]
“Santa Monica Is Reimagining The Promenade Three Decades After It Was Launched” Santa Monica Lookout [November 4, 2019]
“Planners Want Promenade’s Future to Look Like Its Past” Santa Monica Daily Press [September 28, 2019]
“At This Food Hall, Public Space Comes First, Vendors Order Collectively, and Employees Are Trained to Work at Any Counter” New Food Economy [September 25, 2019]
“Officials See Furniture and Fun as Key to Promenade’s Future” Santa Monica Daily Press [September 4, 2019]
“Promenade 3.0” on DnA: Design and Architecture, KCRW 89.9fm [September 3, 2019]
“Promenade’s Experiment Grows Downtown” Santa Monica Daily Press [August 17, 2019]
“How Santa Monica Is Trying to Lure People Back to the Third Street Promenade” Los Angeles Magazine [March 9, 2019]
“Santa Monica Looks to Revamp the Third Street Promenade” Urbanize LA [March 7, 2019]
“Promenade 3.0 Envisions New Features Downtown” Santa Monica Daily Press [March 4, 2019]
“Envisioning the Future of the Third Street Promenade” City of Santa Monica [December 17, 2018]
“Volunteers wanted to help survey the Promenade” Santa Monica Daily Press [December 5, 2018]
“Council Poised to Make Way for Promenade Makeover” Santa Monica Lookout [October 5, 2018]
“Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade gets ‘3.0’ makeover” ABC7 [September 30, 2018]
“City Manager envisions a larger pedestrian zone for Downtown” Santa Monica Daily Press [August 20, 2018]
Media:
Delirious LA 