An opportunity to refocus
Like many retail high streets around the globe, the Third Street Promenade’s mono-functional shopping areas is struggling to generate the foot traffic needed to compete, despite decades of success and brand recognition. Gehl led public life study to understand existing behavior patterns, challenges, and opportunities. Together, Gehl and RIOS developed a comprehensive placemaking framework for the street centered around infrastructure improvements, innovative tenanting, and active public space management to transform the Promenade into a mixed-use community asset.
The team collaborated with the client to craft a set of goals for Promenade 3.0. The process began with Gehl’s Public Space Public Life (PSPL) benchmark survey, followed by a complete infrastructure survey to understand the surrounding environment. Using the survey data, a set of hypotheses was formulated for what improvements could lead to more consistent foot traffic, engagement, and activity along the Promenade. The team then developed a series of pilot projects for two months, providing insights into what interventions would encourage more extensive and diverse crowds to spend time along the promenade.
Based on surveys and lessons learned from the pilot projects, the team created a concept design for the permanent redesign of the Promenade. The concept design was approved by the City Council in late 2019. The responsive vision and design for Promenade 3.0 and the ongoing changes being carried out support the evolution of Third Street’s success into the future.
