In the 20th century, we built cities around a grid of car-accessible spaces. When roads were planned, on-street parking was incorporated into the outside lane, offering parking in close proximity to businesses, homes, and services. It was widely assumed that generous parking would encourage people to visit a business partly due to the convenience of free or easy-to-find parking nearby.

As society progressed into the 21st century, the car began to lose its stronghold on the reign of transportation modes. In Vancouver, 50% of trips are now made by transit, by foot, or by bike. With this shift in transportation modes in mind, is it reasonable to expect that the abundance of space once reserved for storing cars be preserved for parking in the future? And, if we were to reconsider how to use this land space, how can we use it to benefit the community in which it exists?

The San Francisco Experiment

In 2005, three urban designers at a firm called Rebar in San Francisco considered exactly that. They viewed on-street parking as an under-appreciated land use type and aimed to conceptualize a new use for it. One immediate benefit: on-street parking was essentially cheap real-estate, available to rent by the hour for literal pocket change.

So one day in late September, they found an underused block lined with on-street parking, covered a parking space with temporary grass, added a potted tree and a bench, and plugged the meter for a few hours – thus creating a temporary park in what was traditionally a parking space. As the designers stood back to observe their experiment in place-making, it wasn’t long before people began to use the bench and enjoy the space, similar to how a park would be used.

24th Street Parklet, San Francisco. Photo: San Francisco Planning Department

This led to the birth of Park(ing) Day, which soon became a global experiment in repurposing parking spaces for more public purposes. The one-day event has been held every year in late September, and has spawned hundreds of creative placemaking activations in cities around the world – including several in Vancouver starting in 2008.

But if Park(ing) Day is about temporary interventions, then perhaps a larger outcome of this idea of utilizing parking spaces for something other than parking is the birth of the parklet. Here, parking spaces are transformed into a more permanent extension of sidewalk space.

Much like Park(ing) Day, the parklet also has its birthplace in San Francisco. And also like Park(ing) Day, the initiative has grown and spread worldwide. Since they launched their first parklet in 2008 (with the help of Rebar), the City of San Francisco has expanded their parklet program to over 50 spaces throughout the city, offering miniature park-like spaces to people in places where there is a need for more and better public space.

Vancouver Recognizes the Benefits of Parklets For People

Vancouver has embraced the parklet concept, and, since 2011, has introduced 11 in locations around the city. Three of these are new this year, and one was removed owing to maintenance issues. (Find a complete list here).

Parklets are often found in proximity to busy coffee shops, ice cream parlours, and restaurants. A benefit to parklets is that they can add seating off the sidewalk, keeping the pathway clear in areas that often see high pedestrian volumes. Importantly, unlike the new sidewalk patios that are also being introduced, parklets are meant to be accessible by everyone – not just the patrons of the nearby business.

The first parklet, Parallel Park, was located in front of two busy coffee shops at Main and 14th Streets, and has been so well loved, that it is currently being refurbished and upgraded into a full public plaza. Further south on Main Street, the French Quarter Parklet was a collaborative project between local businesses, property owners, a design agency, and a construction company. The vision of this parklet was to create a space that brings neighbours together, while at the same time being a community-building project that had input from the wide range of people who would use it. Downtown, on Robson Street – a busy pedestrian and retail corridor – the Urban Pasture Parklet can be found in front of Café Crepe, providing an urban garden setting with bench seating and tall grass in planters. Another Robson parklet – in front of Japadog – is just opening, while several others can be found – on Fraser Street, Commercial Drive, and West 4th Ave… and shortly also on Davie Street.

Sunny Slopes Parklet, East 4th Ave & Cypress. Photo: Daniel Maldoff

Meet the Parklet, Main Street at E 27th Ave. Photo: City of Vancouver

Parklets Fill a Need In Their Community

Local designer Luc Bagneres has been following the evolution of parklets and is currently writing his masters thesis on the subject. In addition to researching this new type of public space, he is also collaborating with two local enterprises – DUDOC and Earnest Ice Cream – on a proposed parklet that they hope to see installed in front of the Earnest ice cream parlour in East Vancouver.

According to Bagneres, it is imperative that parklets be built with the intention of filling a neighbourhood need. And in filling the need, one must first know the neighbourhood, the people who live there, and the businesses in the area.

For example, does a neighbourhood lack green space, ample seating, or bike parking? Is pedestrian flow along a sidewalk hindered due to people congregating outside a popular business? Is there potential to offer space for an urban garden, a children’s play space, public art, or a cultural landmark? This sort of thinking is a good approach to the design of public space in general but especially so on these micro-spaces. A parklet, properly planned and placed in the right location, can fill many of these needs in a simple, and relatively cost-effective fashion.

Planning, Design and Permitting

The City of Vancouver supports the development and implementation of parklets by reviewing designs and assessing transportation-related impacts. Parklet designs are guided by their Parklet Design and Construction Manual – and a successful proposal must respond to considerations related to location, platform height, construction, accessibility, and seating. Beyond the technical considerations, parklet designs must also have community support, be insurable, and be independently funded.

Within these parameters, the opportunity to customize a parklet to complement the look and feel of a neighbourhood has a wide latitude of possibility through materials (they can be fabricated with wood, concrete, or tiles, as long as the platform surface remains flush with the adjoining sidewalks), configuration (they can be terraced or flat), and amenities (which can include different types of seating, lighting, canopies for shade or rain protection, and landscaping).

Like any construction project that requires City approval, the application and permitting process can take some time. At present, the processing of applications is estimated to take 8-12 months, depending on the comprehensiveness and suitability of the design proposal. For better or for worse, this sort of timeline ensures that only the most dedicated of teams applying for a parklet permit remain invested in seeing the project through to completion. But as the popularity of parklets continues to grow, it seems reasonable to ask whether or not there are ways to streamline the review and approval process.

Urban Pasture Parklet, Robson St at Thurlow. Photo: Paul Krueger

Responding to Grumbles

While parklets create a benefit in adding more public space to neighbourhoods, the response is not always 100% positive. Feedback has generally been good in Vancouver, but some cities have seen a more active debate about the pros and cons of parklets.

Chief among the concerns are the loss of parking, increased public lingering, the potential encampment of homeless individuals, illegal activity, and general late-night rowdiness. There have also been concerns from urbanists about the quality of design. The degree to which these are significant or not is often a matter of perspective – but suffice to say, city officials hear from both sides on the matter. On that note, municipalities sometimes also expressed challenges with parklets, as they can be more cumbersome for engineering departments to work around. This is one of the reasons that parklet designs will usually include a solution for easy transportation and removal from the site, when required.

At least some of these concerns may be dispelled as people quantify the benefits that come with these types of interventions. For example, one study out of Chicago showed that neighbourhood parklets increased foot traffic to any area by up to 80%. This foot traffic, in turn, brought an with it an increase in revenue, with food and beverage providers nearby seeing an increase in sales by 10-20%. Other studies have shown that pedestrians and cyclists tend to spend more in one month on small expenses than drivers do – suggesting that amenities like parklets can encourage pedestrians and cyclists to visit a place, linger, and to spend money when they do.

Reconsidering parking spaces as small urban parks offers a community more room for people to meet, congregate, experience, and enjoy their city. As the preference for active transportation grows and car usage declines in many cities, let’s envision more people-friendly purposes for parking spaces. With any luck, the transformation of idle road space and private car storage into vibrant people-places will become a legacy of the 21st century.

Jada Natalie Stevens is an urbanite and designer who is motivated in exploring how our personal actions can contribute to a better urban society.

Photos by: Paul Krueger (lead), City of San Francisco, Daniel Maldoff, and City of Vancouver; Video courtesy of Street Films.

December 20, 2013 snowfall. Photo by Brent Granby.

Happy snowy solstice Vancouver! Don’t the city’s public spaces look extra cozy under that dusty white blanket? Aren’t you feeling all snuggly-wuggly? For those of you who may be looking at the snow and feeling yet another layer of a holiday-related pressure… stop right now. Grab a cup of cocoa. Sit down. We’re here to help.

We first ran a version of our “Gift Ideas” post last year and it proved to be one of our most popular articles ever. We’ve shared it a few times since them, but we’re now reissuing it with a slew of additional updates for the 2013-14 winter season. Good news for the snow-adverse: some of these options don’t even require you to go outside!

As we noted last time, our gift-giving rituals don’t all have to be about crass cable-knit sweaters (though for some reason those are actually popular this year). For the public space loving urbanists out there, there are a host of things that you can give to your friends and family that will not only make them happy, but do a nice turn for the city as well.

Hang tight – there’s a whopping 18 last-minute holiday gift ideas in this post. All of them are awesome. Enjoy!

(1) Support a local parklet project and contribute to the creation of neighbourhood public space. There are two AWESOME parklet projects currently under development in Vancouver. Design work on both sites are complete, and each project is now using crowd-funding as a means to finance the building and programming of the spaces.

• French Quarter Parklet – will transform two parking spaces (located in front of Chocolaterie de la Nouvelle France at Main Street and East 21st) into a vibrant outdoor seating area. The clever design and landscaping (featuring snappy triangle benches) also features a bike car for folks that want to stay on their bikes while having their coffee. The project is a collaboration between Choclaterie, and our good friends at PWL Partnership Landscape Architects and Cycle Chic. Donate to the French Quarter kickstarter campaign here.

• Commercial Drive Parklet - will convert two parking spaces (located in front of Prado Cafe at Commercial Drive and East 4th) into a permanent seating and gathering area for the whole community to enjoy. The Drive desperately needs more outdoor seating areas, and we’re pleased as punch that VPSN friend Julian Thomas and Board member Stewart Burgess are among the collaborators on this fine venture. Donate to the Commercial Drive Parklet Kickstarter here. (Note: this project lost some anticipated grant funding and are now looking to go beyond the initial $3,500 target. In addition to its great placemaking value, the Commercial Drive Parklet will be a vehicle to provide skills training for community youth).

(2) A copy of one (or more) of the excellent books to come out this year by local urbanists. There were a lot of fine books on public space and urban issues to come out this year. We’re happy to recommend two that are near and dear to our heart. (We’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with both these authors in the past and love the work that they do!). Both are available at better bookstores around town.

• Happy City – written by local journalist and city-thinker Charles Montgomery – promises to “change the way you think about urban life,” doing so by exploring the multifaceted connection between urban design and the science of happiness.

• Focusing closer to home is Lani Russwurm’s Vancouver Was Awesome – a visually rich exploration of collects stories of “the people, places, events, and phenomena that collectively have infused Vancouver with a distinct flavor and flair.”

(3) Invest in your community with some Seedstock. Sure Bitcoin gets all the press, but while it may circumvent some of the problems of a global banking system, does it really do anything for local business? Did you know there’s actually an alternative currency that specifically supports local Vancouver business and non-profits? Seedstock Community Currency lets you do double with your money: exchange cash for Seedstock with a local cause to support their work, and get the equivalent amount of Seedstock back to spend at over 80 local businesses! (Find out where here). You can get ahold of money that feels good to spend – or give! – at the local xChange Station.

(4) Go weekly or seasonally with some urbanist subscription action. Like reading about urban issues? Forefront is a weekly long-form essay that covers city-building activities from around the globe. It’s the product of Next City, a superb blog . You can obtain a subscription here. And of course, there’s also our good friends at Spacing, who produce a magazine (and several blogs) that “uncover the joys, obstacles and politics of Canada’s big cities by cutting through the cynicism that often pervades any discussion about urban issues.” Pretty good, eh? Their national issues come out twice a year and are a superb read. Order them here.

(5) Give the gift of edumacation. Vancouver’s Community Centres and public schools offer a dizzying array of classes – everything from sports to singing, music lessons to language studies, fine arts to business, crafts to computers. Classes vary in length, location, and cost, but it won’t take more than a bit of research to see what’s available in your neighbourhood. Information on the city’s 24 community centres can be found here or you can zip over to the Vancouver School Board website to see what’s on offer there. Why not double-up the fun? Don’t just sign your loved one up for lessons… join them for the learning as well!

(6) Get sticky with your neighbourhood. Have you seen the Neighborland app and online platform? It’s a great way to share ideas on neighbourhood placemaking and community building ideas. Not content to stop at online connections, the creators have produced some handy “I want ____ in my neighbourhood” stickers. You can make your own via their open source files or order a set via the Neighborland website. (Of course it goes without saying that you’ll want to place these around your neighbourhood in a responsible, community-friendly fashion.)

(7) Take your loved ones out for a bedazzling or ghostly experience. Two of Vancouver’s biggest public spaces – Van Dusen Gardens and Stanley Park – get a special holiday make-over. How about a trip to one or both of these seasonal gems:

• Van Dusen Gardens – Festival of Lights
• Stanley Park – Christmas Train

(8) Support your local street performer. (Go retro, buy a CD!). There’s tons of local musical and artistic talent to be found around the city – on the streets and in transit stations. Like something you see or hear? Lots of street artists offer CDs, sketches and painting for sale – a perfect opportunity to support the local scene and share some of the magic with a friend.

(9) Stay informed and stay up to date – While on the subject of street vending, keep your eyes peeled for two other items that make for great gifts. The Hope in Shadows calendar features top-notch work by DTES photographers and Megaphone Magazine. Revenue from both of these projects is used to provide education, training and support to low-income people in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

(10) Historical pictures. Who doesn’t like to see the way we used to live in years past? The Vancouver Public Library has a great selection of old photographs of Vancouver – which can be purchased for reasonable cost on Floor 7 of VPL Central. Or, you can go the DIY route and visit the Vancouver Archives on-line catalogue – where they have an amazing assortment of high-resolution photographs that you can download for free. Having the VPL and Archives print your pictures for you may mean a bit of a delay — but not to worry, many of their collections are available on-line and in high-resolution. You can print ‘em yourself via your local photo shop.

(A word to the wise – the VPL and Archives collections are different. So if you’re looking for that perfect photograph of, say, Robson Square during the 1960s paint-in, you may have to visit both facilities).

(11) Friends-of Gift Memberships. Both of the aforementioned organizations (the Vancouver Public Library and Vancouver Archives) have volunteer “Friends-of” groups that support their work. The Friends of the VPL and Friends of the Archives both engage in special projects, raise funds for new acquisitions, and champion the work of their respective organizations. Know someone who likes libraries or gets jazzed about archival fonds? Set them up as a patron of one of these groups by buying a gift membership.

(12) Go green with local nature. For over two decades the Stanley Park Ecology Society has played a leadership role in the stewardship of Stanley Park. They do this through a range of education, research and conservation programs. You can support the good work they do by taking out a membership with their organization, “adopting” a bird’s nest, paying to plant saplings or several other things.

(13) More brightening, less frightening – Bike & Ped lights. There are too many people out there still walking and biking around without decent lights or reflective gear (Velcro bracelets, vests, etc.). Why not keep your loved ones safe by upping their visibility. MEC is an obvious go-to (and their new USB plug-in lights are awesome!) but there are lots of other places to get this sort of gear.

Know someone who’s not a cyclist but ought to be? If they have a bike that’s kicking around and gathering dust – why not surprise them with a tune-up (at Our Community Bikes, Kickstand or your neighbourhood bike shop). Another idea, especially for newer bike users: give the gift of cycling confidence and sign them up for a streetwise biking course with HUB.

(14) Make a gift box on behalf of a friend or family member. The holiday season is festive and fun for many of us. For those less fortunate, the seasonal festivities can also be a time of loneliness and challenge – a time that is further compromised by the city’s cold, wet and rainy weather.

There are lots of organizations around town – Lookout, the Aboriginal Front Door, Covenant House, the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre, Carnegie, the Union Gospel Mission, the Kettle Friendship Society (to name just a few) – who will take donations of money, food, warm clothing (socks, sweaters, long johns, rainwear), toiletries, and other un-wrapped gifts.

(15) Make your own walking tour. Why wait until May for Jane’s Walk? Plot out a stroll and show your friends and family some of your favourite spots – the architecture you like, your favourite pieces of public art, a hidden park, other good places to meander. Show them why you like the city. Want to amp it up a bit? Put a few more treats into the itinerary – like a stop at your favourite café or restaurant for hot chocolate, or an end-of-walk admission ticket to the VAG or Science World.

(16) Surprise them with some random market magic. Still searching for some stocking-stuffers? You’ve just scored yourself a great opportunity to support Vancouver’s market scene. The annual Christmas Market occupies Queen Elizabeth Theatre Plaza between now and December 24. For the foodie on your list, there’s the weekly Winter Farmers Market at Nat Bailey Stadium – every Saturday from 10am-2pm). And if you want to go all-in, wander over to Granville Island for any number of specialty gifts.

(17) A membership with Modo – A casual membership to Modo (formerly the Car Co-op) costs $50 and gives you access to a range of vehicles for those times when you actually do need a car (which, for lots of folks, isn’t as as often as they think). It turns out that the self-same membership also gives you a bunch of other perks as well.

And this presents us with another great avenue of gift giving to share…

(18) A membership in another co-operative! You’ve probably heard about co-op housing before, but there are also a good number of co-ops that sell goods and services around town. These include the aforementioned Modo and ever-popular MEC, as well as smaller ones like the Vancouver Tool Library or East End Food Co-op. Co-ops are a good place to shop for those who want to support locally owned, member-driven organizations that operate with a concern for community. Buying a membership in a co-op is a great investment and a smart gift – and will turn your holiday gift exchange into a gala event!

If you’ve got other public space gift ideas, please send them our way – via info [at] vancouverpublicspace [dot] ca.

Thanks to  Mike, Kevin, Paola, Julian and Kathleen for their contributions to this post.