Why Build a Parklet?

They’re called parklets but they’re often more like outdoor café dining areas. These sidewalk extensions are parklets because of their roots. In 2005, the clever folks at ReBar had a plan to take back some of the space reserved for vehicles and turn parking spaces into little parks, or parklets. They can be used for any public use: galleries, bike parking, space to relax, but they are frequently used as café seating.

To take over a couple of parking spaces, most cities require a permit, an annual fee, neighbors’ buy-in, and a decent design. Parklets are privately funded and maintained but they’re public open space and accessible to everyone. You don’t have to buy a cup of coffee to hang out. Parklets are temporary – they exist as long as the host maintains the permit and the city thinks it’s a benefit to the community. As such, parklets are a form of tactical urbanism or urban prototyping. I’ll discuss that movement in a future post.

The remarkable thing about parklets is they are a cost-effective form of placemaking. Everyone wins:

• The host usually enjoys economic rewards.
• The city is able to activate streets at little cost.
• The public benefits from vibrant outdoor spaces.

What more could you ask for? Are parklets popping up in your city? The ones shown here are in my home town: Oakland, California.