This project brings to life the basic principles set forth in Santa Monica City's Urban Design Plan. The goal of the plan is the creation of a pedestrian-friendly downtown that co-exists with vehicular traffic. This goal is met by modifying the public right-of-way to balance a variety of different uses:
- changes in street configurations to provide comfortable, well-defined areas
- the introduction of art to establish a sense of place
- the development of a well-maintained, safe, sustainable and inviting street environment
Five primary design elements are incorporated into the project - paving, lighting, plant materials, arbors, and furniture. The Design Team Lead was Amphion Environmental from Oakland, with artist Robin Brainlsford on the team. The art project encompasses color enriched concrete paving, new street lights and arbors, lighted transit kiosks and signage, drinking fountains, custom bike racks, newspaper racks and bollards covered with mosaic tiles.
The Downtown Transit Mall Project was funded by Big Blue Bus capital transit funds.
2/2005