We plan places that will be here for a good time, and a long time.

Resiliency and Access

We create places that are prepared for shocks and stresses and ensure critical access to necessities such as clean air, fresh water, education, food and employment.

United States

Ramona Gardens Natural Park, Los Angeles

Ramona Gardens is in the top 1% of the most polluted communities in California. Residents suffer disproportionately high levels of respiratory diseases, with children suffering from asthma at twice the state average.

The reason is just 150 feet away. The neighborhood is adjacent to a 15-lane transport corridor, including one of the USA’s busiest freeways, and residents are subjected to fumes and noise of around 218,000 cars and trucks every day.

In partnership with the community and Legacy LA, WSP showed we could reduce air pollution impacts by transforming a four-acre strip of under-utilized land between the neighborhood and freeway into a living, anti-pollution buffer - a green ‘Natural Park’.

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New Zealand

Christchurch Cycleway

Christchurch residents cycle more than any other city in Aotearoa. Following the earthquakes, a series of major cycle routes were developed in response to community desire for more travel choice and safer cycling options. WSP worked closely with the University of Canterbury and Riccarton Bush Trust to meet their needs and to maintain the residential character of the areas the cycleway passed through and the heritage of the Riccarton Bush site. This extensive collaboration has shaped a design that is cognisant of heritage, protected trees, ecology, business and community needs whilst ensuring a high level of service for cyclists.

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United Kingdom

Waterbeach New Town East, Cambridge

At Waterbeach New Town East, to the north of Cambridge, we are designing a place which challenges the dominance of the car and promotes a holistic vision of health and wellbeing. A relocated train station and peripheral car parking will help free up space for pedestrians and cyclists and improve air quality and safety, while encouraging social interaction and outdoor activity. The vision is of a space that combines the best of urban and rural – where you can access everything you need without driving but still enjoy green open spaces and a sense of community.

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Img-Sleepy-Hollow East Parcel Climate Resilient Redevelopment Plan-Square

United States

Sleepy Hollow East Parcel Climate Resilient Redevelopment Plan, New York

Vacant since the 1990s, the former site of a General Motors assembly plant is finally getting the attention it needs to revitalize the waterfront of a historic village 30 miles north of New York City. The village will soon be the location of a new legend for the community, as civic leaders and developers give the low-lying, impervious brownfield site a new purpose as a resilient civic focal point and community destination.