October 2011 - Parks & Recreation - 32

Who, What, Where & hoW around the Parks

OPeNiNGs

Wilmington Waterfront Park
A former brownﬁeld provides a new gathering place with waterfront views

before

The overarching goal of the Wilmington Waterfront Park was twofold: create
a natural buffer to shield residents of the
nearby Wilmington neighborhood from
the daily activities of the adjacent port,
one of the busiest in the United States, and
also to introduce new sustainable technologies that would provide the community
with an innovative centerpiece that helps
combat Los Angeles' notorious pollution
problems.
30 Parks & Recreation O C T O B E R

poRt of los angElEs

After

The park is a largely contiguous landscaped area that includes the El Paseo
Promenade, a pedestrian and bicycle
connection continuing for approximately
nine blocks. The former brownfield now
consists of a low 16-foot landform, landscaping with grass and trees, hardscaping, paths and walkways, benches, water
features, an iconic pedestrian bridge,
restrooms, and a children's playground.
The park serves as a space for family
gatherings, children's play, performance
arts, walking, bicycling, sitting, and community events.
Sasaki notes that the design is contemporary, yet also references the community's deep heritage by including features

2 0 1 1 w w w . N R P A . O R G

such as a plaza for large gatherings that
is culturally compatible with Wilmington's Latino population. The low landform
creates a platform offering views of the
nearby coastline while simultaneously
buffering noise from the port. In an effort
to curb Los Angeles' pollution situation,
the team elected to coat a test panel of retaining wall surface with titanium dioxide,
a substance that reduces nitrogen oxide
and helps mitigate the impact of airborne
pollutants from nearby industrial facilities. The test panel will be monitored
for effectiveness, with the goal of coating the entire 35,000 square feet of wall
surface. Approximately two acres of new
tree groves in the surrounding landscape
further enhance air quality and sequester
carbon on the site. Lighting for the park
was carefully chosen to provide adequate
nighttime illumination without imposing
glare on the surrounding area, and darksky compliant fixtures were specified.
Last, an extensive stormwater management system includes 5,000 linear feet
of subsurface stone French drains along
walkways, planter beds, and low points in
the landscape.

sasaki

pened in June 2011,
the new Wilmington
Waterfront Park i n
Los Angeles provides
public green space
between the Port of Los Angeles and
adjacent residences in Wilmington. The
30-acre park was constructed on adjacent, vacant, port-owned property.
After a series of public planning
workshops that began in 2004, a plan to
take a sustainable, strategic approach
to the area was approved in 2007. The
Port of Los Angeles worked with design
consultant team Sasaki to move forward
with a community-supported plan that
offered never-before -seen v iews
of the Wilmington
waterfront. Const r uction bega n
in 2009, and the
Wilmington Waterfront Park officially
opened to the public in June 2011.

October 2011 - Parks & Recreation

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