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A parklet is a sidewalk extension that provides more space and amenities for people using the street. Usually parklets are installed on parking lanes and use several . Parklets typically extend out from the sidewalk at the level of the sidewalk to the width of the adjacent parking space.
Parklets are intended for people. Parklets offer a place to stop, to sit, and to leisure while taking in the activities of the street. In instances where a parklet is not intended to accommodate people, it may provide greenery, art, or some other visual amenity. A parklet may accommodate bicycle parking within it, or bicycle parking may be associated with it.
A parklet may be thought of as permanent, but must be designed for quick and easy removal for emergency or other reasons such as snow removal without damage to the curb or street. As initially conceived, a parklet is always open to the public. However, some cities have allowed restaurants to create parklets that are not open to the public such as Long Beach, California, Fargo, North Dakota and Montreal, Quebec.
In August 2012, the School of Architecture at University of Southern California published a graduate thesis "Experimenting with the Margin: Parklets and Plazas as Catalysts in Community and Government," which provided a comprehensive history of the creation of parklet and plaza programs in four California cities. In September 2012, the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs published a report, "Reclaiming the Right-of-Way: A toolkit for Creating and Implementing Parklets", examining case studies for parklets in seven cities across North America. In February 2013, The San Francisco Planning Department published a Parklet Manual San Francisco Parklet Manual, Version 1.0 (February 2013). San Francisco Planning Department which serves as a comprehensive overview of the goals, policies, process, procedures and guidelines for creating a parklet in San Francisco. The Manual also serves as a resource for those outside of San Francisco working to establish parklet programs in their own cities.
Parklets have sprung up in Phoenix, Philadelphia, Oakland, Los Angeles, San Jose, Dallas, Seattle, San Diego, Vancouver, British Columbia, Minneapolis, Chicago, Santa Monica, and Morro Bay, CA.
Parklets are typically spaces for passive recreation, The first parklets with active recreation were installed in Los Angeles, CA in February 2013. Two sites on Spring Street, in Downtown Los Angeles, each feature two exercise bicycles on site. Upon evaluation, 20% of people surveyed in the sites said they previously used the machines; but only 5% of activity observed recorded use of the machines. Active recreation use of parklets may need some additional motivation to increase use at the exercise machines.
Parklets have also been created in Mexico in Puebla de Zaragoza during the PueblaDesignFest
The first Parklet on the street in London has been installed in July 2015.
In April 2018, a Parklet was also created in Leeds, UK, as a result of a partnership between Yorkshire Design Group, Leeds Business Improvement District (LeedsBID), Leeds City Council, and LAAND landscape architects.
In December 2019, the Metro Tunnel Creative Program in Melbourne, Australia, installed a parklet on Domain Road - an area impacted by the construction of the new tunnel and station. Local restaurants were able to increase their street trading permits into the parklet - which also helped them maintain physical distancing for patrons waiting for takeaways during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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