MacArthur Park Reimagined

The Challenge

How can MacArthur Park build on its strength of diversity of users and become a park where everyone feels safe and welcome to linger? The project moves from punitive solutions of recent times to restorative possibilities for the future.

Research & Discovery

In collaboration with Konkuey Design Initiative, we employed a participatory planning approach — engaging in action-based research, community engagement, and mapping. The goal: to incorporate the voices of diverse communities historically ignored during design and planning processes.

Using design and programming strategies, we created proposals that better serve those communities that need access to public spaces most — and to create spaces that are truly public.

"Truly public spaces require the participation of the public — especially those whose voices have been excluded from the process."

Key Insights

The park's diversity is its greatest asset, but feelings of safety and welcome are unevenly distributed among its users. Participatory design methods revealed needs and desires that traditional planning processes consistently overlook.

What's Next

Finalizing design proposals that center restorative approaches and community voice. The work continues to explore how public space design can be a vehicle for equity and belonging.