Walking in la is a notoriously unpleasant experience, interesting considering Angelenos love hiking. It doesn’t have to be like this. Gas stations and banks will soon be stranded assets, so to whole streets. National Blvd. is an obsolete asset. In the shadow of the fastest form of conventional travel (the freeway), we propose a novel urban experience:  a public space.

The Nolli map shows the public space in the area where white is the accessible public area. As a result the sidewalk becomes the only space for people in a zone dominated by the car. National Blvd is a perfect candidate for a redesign towards a pedestrian path with other streets having the same potential to be public spaces.

We are redesigning National Blvd, closing off most of it where the pedestrian path takes precedence over cars. Creating a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood involves more than just adding bike lanes or widening curbs; it requires generating a sense of wonder that encourages exploration. By repurposing underutilized streets and transforming them into areas that promote wandering, we can celebrate formerly avoided spaces. For this, we propose three new urban spaces on the chosen sites.

Our proposal populates this obsolete asset with obsolete objects to redeem this undesirable road. The placement of canopies throughout the boulevard creates a dynamic density that responds to the distinct zones. Plots through National were chosen for their location as gathering points. 

The Fringe show represents a street performance on the edge of the freeway. We reference Ed Ruscha’s work of generic infrastructures like streets and gas stations and reinvent them bringing life into familiar places. In this plot we propose a theater that uses a series of overlapped canopies as shading and the stage as the street. Inviting pedestrian to participate and interact with the performances.