Chinatown Pedestrian Study

Extensive community outreach was performed to obtain a representative opinion from the Chinatown community before beginning this project. The first objective was to discover what the community would like to have as a link from the center of the business area in Chinatown to the future Chinatown station on Alameda Street and College Ave. The second objective was to translate these community wishes into a landscape scheme that would be viable for LAMTA to develop.

The resulting landscape scheme called for a tree-lined street leading to a park/plaza on College Ave. Retail edges and a central green that lead into the transportation station flanks this park/plaza. At this spot, the station takes on the shape of a dragon that spews out wisdom in the form of pearls. These pearls of various sizes are spheres that are visible during the day and glow at night. They roll through the park/plaza and act as the visual connection between the transportation station and the central business area on College Avenue along Alameda Street , the pearls roll down a long flight of stairs and stop in front of the fountain that is located in a tree shaded urban plaza.