In the fall of 2016, Studio One Eleven was approached by the Downtown Long Beach Alliance (DLBA) to see if we would be interested in installing a pedestrian counter at our new office located on the corner of Third Street and Promenade in downtown Long Beach.
An overview of the collected pedestrian data provided by Motionloft
Our relocation was a catalyst for the transformation of The Streets into a vibrant, well-integrated neighborhood of Downtown Long Beach.
At the time, the DLBA was planning to install 15 sensors across Downtown to provide existing and potential businesses with key data to assist with strategic planning, business location and operations. Thrilled by the opportunity, we eagerly signed up to have the sensor—a 4 ½” x 4 ½” box—installed. Located at our Promenade office entry, the sensor, which is operated the company, Motionloft, sits roughly 12’ off the ground and processes pedestrian movement 24/7 in both directions through its 30’ coverage area.
Since its installation on October 31, we’ve been tracking pedestrian activity using Motionloft’s amazing real time data. The information collected captures and quantifies the data in various ways. Each day the sensor counts pedestrians on an hourly basis—highlighting visitors per hour, as well as the busiest hours and days of the week.
This data is then synthesized to create a time density heat map, which shows peak hours of pedestrian activity and a business hours analysis. The time density heat map indicates activity that will help businesses better understand ideal hours of operation while allowing them to address day-to-day logistics like appropriate staffing.
Time density heat map provided by Motionloft
The data collected enables us as architects and urban designers to better understand and measure the impact of our relocation on the urban environment. Our relocation was a catalyst for the transformation of City Place—now The Streets—into a vibrant, well-integrated neighborhood of Downtown Long Beach. Not only has there been significant investment along Third Street, but the public and private investment spurred across six blocks is and will continue to be substantial.
While we are still waiting for surrounding food and beverage tenants to open, we wanted to share some interesting trends we’ve noticed so far. The information below is representative of the pedestrian counts collected from October 31st to April 30th—a six month period—which we hope to use as a benchmark for a secondary analysis six months from now. As tenants open their doors and the summertime rolls in, we are eager to see how the data continues to evolve.
Pedestrian Counts from October 31 to April 30
Key Data:
• Total visitors: 198,160
• Avg. Visitors per hour: 45
• Busiest Day of Week: Friday (1,331 average)
• Busiest Hour: 12pm
• Typical Day: 1,089
• Typical Week: 7,621
Consistent Weekly Peaks/Lows:
• Friday’s consistently
• End of 2016—Tuesdays were peak days, as well
• 2017—Increase in pedestrians throughout weekend—particularly Saturdays
• Sundays always the lowest day of the week.
Consistent Daily Peaks:
• During the work week, pedestrian activity starts up beginning at 7am and is strong until 8-9pm.
• Peak hours occur mid-day around lunch hour
• During the weekend, pedestrian activity begins late morning, peaks around midafternoon, and is strong until early evening
Main Peaks:
• Wed. March 29 (our opening) = 2,062
• Tue. February 14 (Valentine’s day) = 1,934 (peak occurred at lunch, not during dinner)
Overall Trends:
• Steady increase in pedestrians since it’s installation
• Highest pedestrian total occurred in March (40, 117)—about 8,000 more than our next highest month
• April was a bit low in comparison to March—most likely due to construction going on near and around the sensor, which directly affected pedestrians path of travel from the garage to the west sidewalk
• More foot traffic heading northbound (from the Promenade) than southbound (towards Promenade)