Linoberg Street Pedestrianization Plan
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Marcy McInelly
Joseph Readdy
Elizabeth Nelson
Taylor Berberich
Type
Blue Zones Built Environment
Year
2023
Urbsworks led a six-month community design project to expand access to an arts alley in downtown Sonora, CA. A three-day design charrette produced plans to pedestrianize the space and make the adjacent streets safer. Urbsworks' final recommendations included a chicane design to tame a dangerous downtown cut through next to the alley and a strategy to link important but underused downtown plazas, alleys, side streets, and parks.
The project addressed shared streets, urban stormwater treatment, parking, wayfinding, traffic calming, urban trash collection, the incorporation of art, and outdoor dining permits pre- and post-COVID. Over 2,000 people participated in surveys, public meetings and focus groups.
Linoberg St. is a popular and beloved destination in downtown Sonora. The more than 1,200 community members who participated in the charrette supported Linoberg Street as a place for social connection, outdoor dining, drinking, and occasional events. At the same time, people want Linoberg Street to provide a public place to relax and rest, and as the survey showed, many people enjoy having the option to bring their own food and snacks.
In addition to Linoberg Street, charrette participants wanted to see many more similar gathering places in the downtown.
Pre-charrette survey“
Our concepts for pedestrianization, traffic calming, wayfinding, and placemaking covered three downtown streets.
Project Impact
Within months of the charrette City Council voted to accept the Linoberg Street concepts and to move forward with the Stewart Street trash receptacle demonstration project.
Read the full Refined Concepts report.
A Deeper Dive
