MELODY WU
URBAN U r b a n PDESIGN l a n n i n+ g PLANNING & Design
PORTFOLIO
CONTENTS By M elody Wu This portfolio is a reflection of projects completed professionally and as a Masters in Urban & Regional Planning graduate student at UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. The work selected demonstrates my skills and knowledge as I enter the dialogue and critique of the field of urban planning and design. All work featured in this portfolio is my own work, regardless of group project work, unless otherwise noted.
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RE-VISIONING OVERLAND AVENUE
STALLING AUTOPIA, DRIVING A CITY
INTERSECTION
Streetscape improvement proposal
Thick mapping
Thick mapping
A streetscape improvement proposal designed to enhance Los Angeles’ Palms neighborhood.
A group project to understand the identity of La Placita through thick mapping.
An analysis of an intersection within the UCLA Campus through conflict, movement, and momentum.
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16 FEET WIDE
SUNSET RISING
CONTESTED SPACE
Alley installation
Site & design standards
Reflection, narrative, before & after
An alley installation along Santa Monica Boulevard, between Federal Avenue and Barry Avenue.
A group project to create a community conversation about the future of the Pacific Palisades Commercial Village.
A series of analyses - reflection, narrative, and before & afters - to determine strategic improvements to revitalize the Fashion District.
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INDUSTRY
PUBLICATIONS
RESUME
Innovative work environs
My bookshelf
More about me
A transit-oriented, market-rate creative office project proposal at 3475 La Cienega Boulevard & 5860 Jefferson Boulevard.
A sample selection of reports and publications that I’ve completed both educationally and professionally.
A curriculum vital
OVERLAND AVENUE The proposal involves collaborating with the Palms Neighborhood Council to draft a proposal, to be submitted to the Mayor’s office, calling on the selection of the Palms section of Overland Avenue to be one of the Mayor’s “Great Streets”.
vd Bl ice
ew ay
SITE VISITS
[1] ACCESSIBILITY CHALLENGES with respect to establish neighborhood identity
implement green practices
STREET DESIGN CHARRETTES
engage with the community to plan for potential pedestrian, transportation and business improvement concepts along Overland Avenue
TIMELINE
regarding its general attractiveness and its environmental layout
improve pedestrian & bicyclist safety
enhance walking & bicycling experiences
examine and document existing conditions, street widths, vacant lots, and walkability along Overland Avenue
METHODS
its walkability, parking and lack of open spaces for communal association
[2] AESTHETIC ISSUES
INITIATION & ASSESSMENT
CONCEPTS DEVELOPMENT
REFINEMENT & SELECTION
PLAN PREPARATION
fall 2014/winter 2015
winter 2015
winter/spring 2015
spring 2015
project scope, site visits
bolster local businesses
improve connections to nearby transit
TRANSPORTATION
BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT & AESTHETICS 89
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METERED PARKING
TREE WELLS
REGULAR STREET CLEANING
ADD’L LANDSCAPE FEATURES
ADD’L STREET FURNITURE
MURALS & PUBLIC ART
CORRIDOR IDENTITY SIGNAGE
UNDERGROUNDING UTILITIES
ADAPTIVE REUSE OF BUILDINGS
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TRANSIT ENHANCEMENTS
SPOT MEDIANS
ADD’L BIKE FACILITIES
OFF-STREET PARKING TOOLS
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BIKEWAY ENHANCEMENTS
ON-STREET PARKING TOOLS
Bikeway Enhancements add bike lanes, sharrows where possible
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ADD’L STREET TREES
PARKLETS
PEDESTRIAN-SCALED LIGHTING
IMPROVEMENTS @ ROSE AVE
FREEWAY BRIDGE IMPROVEMENTS
WAYFINDING SIGNAGE
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3 IMPROVEMENTS
Additional Landscape Features encourage native landscaping in parking lots, bulb-outs, and along storefronts
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CROSSING ISLANDS/SPOT MEDIANS
TOP
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proposal write-up
personal field notes
PEDESTRIAN REALM
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recommendations based on outreach
street design charrette @ motor ave farmer’s market
CHARRETTE RESULTS
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community outreach, design charrettes
improve overall aesthetics & livability
2 STREET DESIGN CHARRETTES with a total of 125 STAKEHOLDERS. FINDINGS 24 IMPROVEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS provided. Each stakeholder casted their TOP 10 VOTES.
ENHANCED/ADD’L CROSSWALKS
Washington Blvd
McCune Ave
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PALMS
CHALLENGES
GOALS
WIDER SIDEWALKS/CURB BULB-OUTS
Ve n
5F
The proposal will showcase the street’s positive features and valued place in the community, while also envisioning an Overland Avenue that embraces the ideas and visions recognized under the Mayor’s Great Streets Initiative.
10 Freeway
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THE PROPOSAL
Venice Blvd
Regent St Francis Pl
Charnock Rd
Tabor St
Westminister Ave
Palms Blvd
Lawler St
Woodbine St
Natio na
l Pl
Rose Ave
Na
tio
National Blvd
na
Rose Ave
lB
lvd
STREETSCAPE IMPROVEMENT PROPOSAL
e Av nd la iles er Ov 1.2 m
Preliminary findings poster presented at UCLA on April 2, 2015
RE-VISIONING
Additional Street Trees provide continuous tree canopy
NEXT STEPS Based on the results from the street design charrettes, the preliminary proposal will contain both a
LONG-TERM, GRAND VISION
as well as
SHORT-TERM, PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS
that abide to the needs and desires expressed by the community.
MELODY WU, MURP 2015 Candidate FACULTY ADVISOR: Ryan Snyder, Ryan Snyder Associates CLIENT: Neal Anderberg & Eli Lipmen, Palms Neighborhood Council
RE-VISIONING OVERLAND AVENUE
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St r e e ts c ape Imp r o vement P r oject
Street design charrette at Motor Avenue Farmers Market on March 15, 2015
THE NEXT GREAT STREET The proposal will showcase the street’s positive features and valued place in the community, while also envisioning an Overland Avenue that embraces the ideas and visions recognized under the Mayor’s Great Streets Initiative. This proposal, as part of my Master’s thesis, seeks to re-envision the Palms section of Overland Avenue to be a great street. For my methodology, I conducted walking and bicycling site visits with the Palms Neighborhood Council and my advisor, Ryan Snyder. I also hosted two street design charrettes in March 2015 to create a conversation with the community on pedestrian, transportation and business improvement concepts for the street. The preliminary proposal will feature both short-term, practical solutions and a long-term grand vision that abides to the needs and desires expressed by the community.
Applied Planning Research Project , UCLA Client: Palms Neighborhood Council
Advisor: Ryan Snyder, Ryan Snyder Associates Fall 2014 - Spring 2015
STALLING AUTOPIA, DRIVING A CITY Thick Map p ing
This map documents the August 30th, 2014 Los Angeles City Birthday Celebration as a case study of La Placita, where scripted and spontaneous public movements converge. Los Angeles is a landscape dominated by autopia; when stalled, a florescence of activity emerges. The extreme static caused by parking releases ecstatic movement and public journey.
STALLING AUTOPIA, DRIVING A CITY
KYRA BAUMAN, SALIM BAMAKHRAMA, ELLEN GERDES, MELODY WU, FANG-RU LIN
This map documents the Los Angeles City Birthday Celebration (August 30, 2014) as a case study that investigates La Placita as a site where scripted and spontaneous public movements converge. Los Angeles is a landscape dominated by autopia, when stalled, a florescence of activity emerges. Essentially, the extreme static caused by autopia releases ecstatic movement and publicness.
1884
1920
1940
1974
1996
Layered 1884-1996
SCALE OF MOVEMENT SCRIPTED
WALKERS
BIKERS
VENDORS
DANCERS
SPECTATORS
AUTOPIA
Walkers
Bikers
Vendors
Dancers
Specators
Autopia
LEFT Los Pobladores, the original 44 settlers of Los Angeles, walked nine miles from San Gabriel Mission in order to found El Pueblo de Los Angeles. In 1981, the descendants of Los Pobladores began a tradition of re-enacting this historical trek.
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Participants represented Los Pobladores who walked from San Gabriel Mission to La Placita on foot
Bicyclists represented the wagons, horses and donkeys that accompanied the founders
Shop keepers and booth attendants
Professional performers
La Placita visitors
SPONTANEOUS
Historic Maps The chronology of maps illustrates the progressive development of autopia surrounding La Placita. La Placita has increasingly become its own isolated landscape surrounded by a sea of parking lots, streets, and highways; nevertheless, the site remains an active and vibrant destination.
Cars and parking lots
Documented movement of walkers, bikers, vendors, dancers, spectators, and autopia 5
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RIGHT Dancers’ formations, audience space, and shadow. 1
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Dancers’ formations, audience space, and shadow
Urban Humanities Summer Institute, CityLAB UCLA Mellon Foundation Grant Recipient
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Professor Dana Cuff Summer 2014
INTERSECTION
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Thick Map p ing Intersection served as a preliminary exercise to developing the conceptual framework of Stalling Autopia, Driving a City. The thickness of the lines represent the velocity of travel, while the various colors depict differential road users.
16 FEET WIDE A lle y wa y Insta lla t ion
The purpose of this intervention is to envision how to repurpose an underutilized alleyway and to rethink our public spaces. The alleyway is used as public seating for restaurant patrons or passerbys. Public art, hanging lighting, planters and sliding doors that can be closed after hours provide a visually pleasant outdoor space. Green-painted sharrow lanes along Santa Monica Boulevard accommodate bicyclists while slowing down traffic and stimulating a more active, vibrant street.
Graphics & Urban Information Studio UCLA
Alissa Marquez Fall 2013
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Conceptual renderings of “16 Feet Wide” alleyway installation
SUNSET RISING
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Si te & Design Sta nda r ds
PACIFIC PALISADES COMMERCIAL VILLAGE VISION To enhance economic opportunities by strategically increasing intensity while preserving community character The studio involved working with a client, the Community Planning Initiative for Pacific Palisades, to prepare alternatives for re-visioning an existing City of Los Angeles specific plan, the Pacific Palisades Commercial Village and Neighborhoods Specific Plan. The purpose of this studio was to foster a dialogue amongst constituents regarding the future shape of their town center. As part of the planning process, we conducted stakeholder interviews, questionnaires and visual surveys in a community visioning workshop held in the neighborhood. Here, the renderings represent a potential vision expressed by the community.
Special Topics in Built Environment: Urban Design Studio UCLA
John Kaliski Winter 2014
CONTESTED SPACE R e flect ion
Fa
FASHION
Di
SEGREGATION
DISTRICT
INFORMAL URBANITY
CONTESTED
SPEED
SPRAWL
SPACE
SPECTACLE
“It contains a level of street-centered vibrancy and urban vitality relatively uncommon to Los Angeles – and virtually none of this vitality has ever been planned into existence by city planners.”
SCALE
SOMETHING EXOTIC YET ODDLY FAMILIAR
The Fashion District is a Contested Space This preliminary site analysis exercise presented my reflections on why the Fashion District was the focus of my studio work. My argument is that the Fashion District is a Contested Space. It has the highest pedestrian activity in the city, is layered with endless street-front retail, and businesses pay rent rival to Third Street Promenade. Capitalizing on growing pedestrian traffic, businesses began opening up retail stores
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along streets and developers began moving in to build buidings that would further attract retail and wholesale customers; an Informal Urbanity proceeded. Nowadays, people walk through the district reminded of a place that is Exotic, Yet Oddly Familiar. The Reflection provides the backbone for the Narrative on the facing page and supports the alternatives (Before & After) on the subsequent page for the Fashion District.
Physical Planning Studio UCLA
Professor Vinit Mukhija Fall 2014
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CONTESTED SPACE Na r ra t ive
PLACE
ECONOMIC SYSTEMS
s space vate i r p / blic
d pu
e blurr
ing space
residential press ure v. industrial prese rvation
(re)claim
civic v. street lif
l rents
high commerica
authentic space v. developable space
CONTESTED SPACE
sion d expan eastwar ds v. andar rds t s n g a d desi stand relaxe elopment v e d d guide
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IDENTITY physical form monumental spac
familiar
cons
ethn
ume
ic en
rism
e v. lived space
ility v. fl uency in
clave
v. in d
s v. f
ustr
THE NEW MART
ashio
user exp erience
n enc
ialis
m
laves
COOPER DESIGN SPACE
CA MARKET CENTER
ADAPTIVE REUSE
SOUTH PARK
GERRY BLDG
0.6
SITE
SANTEE ALLEY
Fashion District
0.36 NEW ALLEY
BENDIX BLDG
Physical Planning Studio UCLA
Professor Vinit Mukhija Fall 2014
CONTESTED SPACE Be f or e & A fte r
VJ /CKP $'(14'
VJ /CKP CHVGT
Tiered Zoning, 11th & Main St
Through a tiered zoning mechanism, this building could house innovative uses, such as a fashion incubator, live/work and creative spaces. Envisioned here is a 5-story building, where the first two floors have 15’ ceilings. Associated public benefits with tiered zoning featured here are a parklet, enhanced crosswalks and sidewalk receptacles.
VJ /CRNG $'(14'
VJ /CRNG CHVGT
Connecting Social with the Physical, 12th & Maple St
The lack of open space is the purpose for converting this intersection into a shared space. This would enable the existing social use of the space to be reflected in the physical environment.
Physical Planning Studio UCLA
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/CKP 5VTGGV CHVGT Parking-to-Park Conversion, Main St The park-poor area could benefit from a parking-to-park conversion site. This also allows for an opportunity to collaborate with nearbly institutions, such as the California Market Center, to bring streetlevel night activites to the area.
/CKP 5VTGGV $'(14' Professor Vinit Mukhija Fall 2014
INDUSTRY I nno va t ive Work Envir ons This studio exercise was designed to provide familiarity with the real estate development process and financing methods. Specifically, how government policies affect the real estate market, how planning and zoning affect what can be built, how sites are entitled, how markets frame the development program, how debt and equity markets work, and so forth. My team looked into a vacant site near the Jefferson/La Cienega Expo Line. The goal of the project was to combine the region’s desire to move people efficiently with the need to provide a range of creative office choices. Alongside strong market positioning and political support, our site provides over 250,000 square feet of net leasable area at a competitive asking rent of $3.49 square feet per month. Renderings were produced by my architect team member, Asia.
Massing
GROUNDFloor FLOOR PLAN Ground
MASSING STUDY MASSING at MAXIMUM GBA
GROUND FLOOR PLAN
425’ 0” 37’ 0”
85’ 0”
85’ 0”
8’ 6”
entrance
9’4”
9’ 4”
bicycle storage maintenance
Parking
running track
Building 1
233’0”
BUILDING
DESIGN vehicle entrance
entrance
PARKING 71’ 7 3/4”
04 Real Estate Development & Finance UCLA
MASH
DEVELOPERS
28’ 5 3/4”
358’ 5 1/2”
76’ 6”
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2ND &2ND 3RD &FLOOR 3RD FLOOR PLAN PLAN Second Floor 4’ 4”
Third Floor
76’ 6”
Building 3
Building 3
26’ 6”
GROUND FLOOR PLAN #VJMEJOH #VJMEJOH 505"-
TG TG TG Building 2
Parking
Building 2
1/64” = 1’-0”
Building 2
Building 2
Building 2
144 spaces
Bicycle spaces L/T Building 1 (inside parking structure)
Building 531spaces
Bicycle spaces S/T (on site)
27 spaces
Bicycle maintenance
100sf
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Building 1
Building 1
1/128” = 1’-0” 1/128” = 1’-0”
MASH
1/128” = 1’-0” 1/128” = 1’-0”
DEVELOPERS
SECOND FLOOR SECOND PLAN FLOOR PLAN Building 1 Building 1 Building 2 Building 2 TOTAL TOTAL
THIRD FLOOR PLAN THIRD FLOOR PLAN 14310sf 62210sf 76520sf
14310sf 62210sf 76520sf
Building 1 Building 1 Building 2 Building 2 Building 3 Building 3
Professor Joan Ling Winter 2015 17,458sf 17,458sf 61,714sf 61,714sf 29,325sf 29,325sf
PUBLICATIONS My Bookshelf
EDUCATIONAL WORK
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INDUSTRY DUE DILIGENCE RE
Visual Communication (VIS 228) Amber Hawkes & Georgia Sheridan December 2013
Real Estate & Finance (UP M Joan Ling March 2014 A IC
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NORTH HOLLYWOOD TRANSIT STATION TOD Studio (UP 252) Simon Pastucha Spring 2014
FASHION DISTRICT NEXT
Physical Planning (UP 273) Vinit Mukhija December 2014
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PROFESSIONAL WORK
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PALMS SPRINGS BICYCLE ROUTE PLAN
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CUDAHY SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL PLAN
Ryan Snyder Associates January 2014
Ryan Snyder Associates January 2015
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PROPOSED WESTWOOD BOULEVARD BIKEWAYS Ryan Snyder Associates December 2014
LONG BEACH BIKE PLAN Ryan Snyder Associates November 2013
*All graphics were created by me, with the exception of a joint collaboration for FD Next.
MELODY WU
mwu922@gmail.com
URBAN DESIGNER
1742 Barry Ave. #4 Los Angeles, CA 90025 909.576.9789
ABOUT ME
I have a multidisciplinary educational and professional background in urban planning and business management, which allows me to apply my leadership skills to a variety of projects and industries. I am a driven and energetic young professional seeking a career in urban planning and design to serve and enhance the surrounding community and its constituents. Above all else, I genuinely believe that good planning and design makes people happier; it makes me happier.
RYAN SNYDER ASSOCIATES
Los Angeles, California | September 2013 – Present Bicycle & Pedestrian Planner My responsibilities include drafting and editing plan text, providing graphics support, and collecting and formalizing data on existing and proposed conditions of streets, bikeways, end-of-trip facilities, and links to transit. I have assisted in updating the Honolulu Complete Streets Manual, Westwood Boulevard Bikeways Plan, Long Beach Bicycle Master Plan, Palm Springs Bicycle Route Plan, San Marino Bicycle 1FEFTUSJBO 1MBO BOE "OBIFJN #JDZDMF 1FEFTUSJBO 1MBO * IBWF BMTP DPOEVDUFE mFMEXPSL EBUB BOE provided design guidance for the Lancaster and Cudahy Safe Routes to School Program.
UCLA URBAN HUMANITIES RESEARCH INITIATIVE
Los Angeles, California | August 2014 – Present This initiative is an innovative, cross-disciplinary curriculum that bridges architecture, urban planning, and humanities to better understand the evolving global metropolis. I will be researching on the theme of contested spaces between Los Angeles and Shanghai. This program involves an intensive summer institute, collaborative studio work, along with a fully-funded research trip to Shanghai over spring break.
CHENGDU INSTITUTE OF PLANNING & DESIGN (CDIPD)
Chengdu, Sichuan, China | June 2014 – August 2014 Urban Design Fellow I worked in the Urban Design Division to identify and highlight streets and buildings that the City plans to protect, restore, or revitalize based on their historical legacy or modern construction. I presented on U.S. “great streets� case studies, conducted site visits of the various streets, documented existing conditions, and drafted policies and design guidelines to recommend to CDIPD.
PLANETIZEN
EDUCATION
University of California, Los Angeles, 2013 - 2015 MURP, Masters in Urban & Regional Planning Candidate
$FSUJmDBUFT Design & Development, Urban Humanities $VSSFOU (1" University of California, San Diego, 2007 - 2011 BA, Urban Studies & Planning, BSc, Management Science (1" 1SPWPTU T )POPST
SCHOLARSHIPS
UCLA Urban Humanities Initiative Student Research Grant Recipient, 2014 - 2015 UCLA David & Marianna Fisher Fellowship for Outstanding Graduate Student, 2013 - 2014
ORGANIZATIONS
UCLA Urban Humanities Initiative, 2014 - 2015 UCLA Planners Network, 2013 - Present American Planning Association, 2013 - Present Los Angeles Chapter Young Planners Group
Los Angeles, California | May 2013 – September 2013 Editorial Intern I worked directly under the managing editor to gather global news stories dealing with the built environment, research and report on current planning issues, and develop a personal feature story. I was also involved in auditing Planetizen’s online AICP courses and engaged in a special research project on top, nationally ranked planning reports.
American Planning Association, 2011 - 2012 San Diego Chapter Young Planners Group
CITY OF LOS ANGELES, DEPARTMENT OF CITY PLANNING
SKILLS
Los Angeles, California | September 2012 – August 2013 Long-Range Policy Planning Intern I worked with the South Los Angeles Unit within the Policy Planning Division to provide policy research and outreach support for the South and Southeast Los Angeles Community Plan Areas. I assisted planning staff through design and plan review of development projects, developing policy recommendations and design guidelines, interacting with community stakeholders, and collaborating with professionals in the QMBO NBLJOH QSPDFTT 0UIFS QSPKFDUT JODMVEF QVCMJD DPNNFOU HBUIFSJOH BOE TZOUIFTJT JTTVF TQFDJmD research and analyses, report writing, public outreach, and graphics creation.
UC San Diego Urban Studies & Planning Club, 2009 – 2011
.4 0GmDF 4VJUF Adobe Creative Suite ArcGIS SketchUp Freehand Sketching Architectural Drafting MacOS & Windows Bilingual in Mandarin
MELODY WU
P. 2
URBAN DESIGNER
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[cont.] Notably, I brought to my team’s attention the growing advocacy of planting food on public right-of-ways and City-owned properties within the Plan Areas, which lead to incorporating guidelines on encouraging “edible parkways� into the Community Plans.
WARNER ARCHITECTURE + DESIGN, INC. | CITYWORKS
San Diego, California | May 2011 – May 2012 Project/Business Assistant I provided outreach and research support for the Interstate 15 and the State Route 76 projects under the TransNet Early Action Program. This included assisting in outreach efforts to businesses in the area to keep them involved and updated on the current status of the project, researching key stakeholders and maintaining the stakeholder databases, and responding to stakeholder inquiries submitted through the Program’s website, KeepSanDiegoMoving. com. Additionally, I assisted with the City of San Diego’s Water Conservation Program, San Diegans Waste No Water, by developing event collateral, maintaining media lists, and attending local schools and colleges to increase participation and conservation efforts. Under the principal architect, I have also assisted in the City of La Mesa’s Civic Center redesign, as well as concession plans for Einstein Brother’s Bagels and Stellar Partners Stores at the San Diego International Airport. I also supported the Principals and the Account Manager with administrative assistance such as zoning research and land use analyses, site tours, event QMBOOJOH QSPKFDU QSPQPTBMT BXBSE TVCNJUUBMT NFFUJOH BHFOEBT QSPKFDU mMJOH BDDPVOUT QBZBCMF BOE FYQFOTF SFQPSUT BOE NPOUIMZ CVEHFU USBDLJOH
SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY’S INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC HEALTH
San Diego, California | March 2011 - May 2011 Research Assistant I assisted in a large scale bicycle and pedestrian counting effort conducted in conjunction with San Diego County’s Bike to Work Month to evaluate the effectiveness of the San Diego Association of Governments’ Bike to Work Month promotions.
SAN DIEGO COUNTY BICYCLE COALITION
San Diego, California | October 2010 - March 2011 Transportation Planning Intern I worked with the Executive Director and one other intern in the creation of a geo-database using ArcGIS that compiles data from current and proposed bicycle projects in San Diego County. This database will assist the Coalition in advocating for a prioritization of projects to secure funding and to provide a programming guide for future data input and retrieval.
DISCOVER PACIFIC BEACH
San Diego, California | January 2010 - March 2010 Community Development Intern I engaged in event planning, volunteer coordination, data collection, and social media support while working closely with the Executive Director and board members to strengthen and enhance the community’s business improvement district.
PRIOR EXPERIENCE ABROAD SUSTAINABLE CITIES OF NORTHERN EUROPE
UC Davis Summer Abroad Program | Summer 2010 Sweden, Denmark, Germany, France, and Switzerland My program took an in-depth look at how these cities have made a comprehensive effort to become more sustainable in a variety of ways, and analyzed how applicable these approaches are for urban cities in UIF 6 4 "SFBT PG TQFDJmD JOUFSFTU JODMVEFE BMUFSOBUJWF USBOTQPSUBUJPO green urban design, eco-districts, alternative housing, and renewable energy.
MATHEMATICAL ENGINEERING IN ROME, ITALY
UC San Diego Global Seminar | Summer 2009 The American University of Rome I studied the theoretical concepts in mathematics and engineering as they relate to classical Roman architecture. I conducted computer analyses using software tools for geometric modeling and design evaluation, and related the measurement studies to the principles and theories of structural engineering.
MELODY WU URBAN DESIGN + PLANNING