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Urban Arena, Inc.08-10-26 | Feature
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Urban Arena, Inc.

Oakland, Orange County & San Diego, California
Photo Credit: Urban Arena

NOHO West; North Hollywood, CA
NOHO West is a vast retail and residential development featuring restaurants, offices, and outdoor gathering spaces. With a main street feel and a nod to the nearby NOHO Arts District, the 15-acre retail portion maintains focus on the user by incorporating interactive elements, art features, and human-scale design. The tree-lined main street is dotted with string lights and seating areas, creating an environment that is inviting to both shoppers and local residents. At its heart is a 15,000-square-foot plaza featuring expanded restaurant patios, a pop-jet fountain for kids, a flexible stage area for small performances, and a jumbotron for special screenings. Removable bollards can transform adjacent streets into a larger pedestrian-focused zone for special events.
AMLI Aero; San Diego, CA
The design for AMLI Aero creates a seamless connection between indoor and outdoor living, blending comfort, recreation, and community throughout the residential environment. Located on a 3.8-acre site, the development includes 434 apartment homes and approximately 10,400 square feet of amenity space. Elevated rooftop amenities - including a resort-style pool, sunset deck, cabanas, and lounge spaces - offer sweeping panoramic views of the city skyline. At ground level, courtyards feature a putting green, an outdoor kitchen, fire pits, and gathering areas designed for relaxation and social interaction. The result is a cohesive outdoor experience that enhances everyday living while reinforcing the distinctive character of AMLI Aero.
SoHay; Hayward, CA
SoHay is a mixed-use, master-planned community that features several of Urban Arena's multi-family architectural products, including the UA Split, UA Townhomes, UA Duplex, and the UA Motor Court. Retail and residential areas are connected through a series of shared landscape elements and amenities, creating a walkable and playful urban environment. The 2.88-acre SoHay Park includes a parcourse with fitness stations, picnic areas, multi-use lawn spaces, a playground, and a dog park. The various programmatic components are stitched together with looping, overlapping walks inlaid with verbs intended to spur users into action. The design employs flood resilient setbacks, and the educational native plant trail highlights the community's focus on environmental sustainability.
Palisade UTC; La Jolla, CA
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Palisade at UTC is a premier luxury high-rise apartment community that blends sophisticated contemporary design with natural materials and elegant finishes. Residents enjoy unparalleled access to world-class dining, shopping, entertainment, and recreation just moments from home. The community offers an exceptional lifestyle enhanced by an impressive collection of resort-inspired amenities. Outdoor features include a 100m long lap pool and spa, Bali-inspired "over water" bungalows, private cabanas, and outdoor showers. An entertainment bar and outdoor kitchen create a terraced lower level outside of the pool area for relaxation and socializing. Palisade at UTC sets a new standard for elevated residential living. Recognition: 2020 ASLA San Diego Merit Award.
525 Olive; San Diego, CA
525 Olive is a luxury residential tower offering panoramic views of downtown, San Diego Bay, and Balboa Park. The 204 apartment homes are complemented by an elevated rooftop retreat featuring a resort-style pool and spa, lounge areas, and outdoor spaces designed for dining, entertaining, and relaxation. At the street level, a thoughtfully designed plaza creates a meaningful connection between the residences and St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral. Serving as a shared community space, the plaza incorporates a meditative labyrinth, raised planters, and tranquil seating areas that foster reflection and connection. Urban Arena's landscape design successfully blends sophisticated urban living with serene outdoor experiences. Recognition: 2024 ASLA San Diego Merit Award.
Victoria Gardens Cultural Center Plaza; Rancho Cucamonga, CA
Originally constructed in 2005, the Victoria Gardens Cultural Center Plaza underwent a reimagination process in 2015 with the intent of transforming the plaza into a more dynamic and inviting venue for community events and everyday use. The re-design introduced a performance stage, backstage storage building, flexible seating areas, and innovative shade structures, including a cantilevered stage canopy with integrated lighting and audiovisual infrastructure as well as a retractable tensile shade system over the audience area. Terraced landscape planters with custom wood benches provide informal seating while seamlessly addressing grade changes. Urban Arena also refreshed the Cultural Center's appearance through new signage, updated colors, and building enhancements.
Daniel Ray Schack Park; Tracy, CA
The 5.9-acre Daniel Ray Schack Park transforms a sloped hillside site into an accessible public park and a key node within the broader network of parks, trails, and open spaces. The central play, sport, and picnic areas are complemented by dog parks and a flexible multi-use field, all connected by a continuous looped trail system that links to the surrounding community. Careful grading ensures ADA accessibility across varied terrain. Tree lined edges provide shade and define space without rigid barriers, while sculptural boulders and permeable materials integrate stormwater management into the park's identity. The project demonstrates a balanced integration of functionality, environmental performance, and design expression.

Founded in 1996 by Michael Schrock, Urban Arena has grown from a landscape architecture and planning practice into a fully integrated design firm specializing in architecture, landscape architecture, and planning. Built on the belief that great ideas emerge through collaboration, Urban Arena fosters a culture where creativity flows freely across disciplines and every idea has the potential to inspire innovative solutions. This multidisciplinary approach enables the firm to deliver comprehensive, efficient, and impactful designs for clients. With offices in Orange County, San Diego, and Oakland, Urban Arena has created a diverse portfolio that includes master-planned communities, mixed-use retail and entertainment districts, boutique hotels, luxury multi-family residential developments, community parks, streetscapes, and sports complexes. For nearly three decades, Urban Arena has combined vision, expertise, and innovation to shape dynamic environments that enrich communities and elevate the built experience.

Employees: PLAs (19), Principals (7); Total (35)
Software used: AutoCAD, LandFX, Adobe Creative Suite, SketchUp, Enscape, Microsoft Office

As seen in LASN magazine, August 2026.

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