Parklets are public seating platforms that convert curbside parking spaces into vibrant community spaces. Also known as street seats or curbside seating, parklets are the product of a partnership between the city and local businesses, residents, or neighborhood associations. Most parklets have a distinctive design that incorporates seating, greenery, and/or bike racks and accommodate unmet demand for public space on thriving neighborhood retail streets or commercial areas.
Application
Parklets are typically applied where narrow or congested sidewalks prevent the installation of traditional sidewalk cafes or where local property owners or residents see a need to expand the seating capacity and public space on a given street. To obtain a parklet, property owners enter into an agreement with the city, in some cases through a citywide application process, procuring curbside seating in place of one or more parking spaces.
Benefits & Considerations
Parklets are typically administered through partnerships with adjacent businesses and/or surrounding residents. Partners maintain and program the parklet, keeping it free of trash and debris. Where no local partners are present, a parklet may be installed and managed by the city as a traditional park or public space.
Parklets can be managed through a competitive application process by a city transportation, planning, or public works agency.1
Cities with frequent snowfall should consider the removal of parklets during the winter to prevent conflicts with plows and street cleaning vehicles.
Costs vary based on the design and size of the parklet. Design and installation costs are generally assumed by the maintenance partner. Standardized parklet designs may be made available by the city to make the program more appealing and affordable.2
While parklets are foremost intended as assets for the community, their presence has also been shown to increase revenues for adjacent businesses.3
Critical
1To ensure visibility to moving traffic and parking cars, parklets must be buffered using a wheel stop at a desired distance of 4 feet from the parklet. This buffer may also serve as a space for adjacent property owners to accommodate curbside trash collection.
2Parklets should have vertical elements that make them visible to traffic, such as flexible posts or bollards.
3Parklets have a desired minimum width of 6 feet (or the width of the parking lane). Parklets generally entail the conversion of one or more parallel parking spaces or 3–4 angled parking spaces, but may vary according to the site, context, and desired character of the installation. Where a parklet stretches the length of an entire curb, accessibility and sightlines must be taken into account.
The design of a parklet should not inhibit the adequate drainage of stormwater runoff. Small channels between the base and the platform facilitate drainage.
4Parklets should have a flush transition at the sidewalk and curb to permit easy access and avoid tripping hazards.
Recommended
Parklets should avoid corners and are best placed at least one parking space away from the intersection corner. Where installation of a parklet is under consideration for a site near an intersection, volumes of turning traffic, sightlines, visibility, and daylighting should be taken into account.
Parklets should be heavy enough to make theft impossible or unlikely. Site selection should consider the level of surveillance both during the day and at night.
5Incorporate seating into the parklet. Seating may be integrated into the design itself or made possible with moveable tables and chairs.
6Designs for the substructure of a parklet vary and depend on the slope of the street and overall design for the structure. The substructure must accommodate the crown of the road and provide a level surface for the parklet. “Bison pedestals” spaced under the surface and of different heights are a common application. Another method is to provide steel substructure and angled beams.4
Parklets should use a slip-resistant surface to minimize hazards and should be accessible to wheelchair users.
Parklet floor load-bearing weight standards vary by agency. At a minimum, design for 100 pounds per square foot.5
7Include an open guardrail to define the space. Railings should be no higher than 3 feet and be capable of withstanding at least 200 feet of horizontal force.6
Parklet siting should avoid obstructing underground utility access and electrical transformer vaults.
Optional
The design of any individual parklet may vary according to the wishes of the primary partner or applicant. Designs may include seating, greenery, bicycle racks, or other features, but should always strive to become a focal point for the community and a welcoming public gathering place. Cities may opt to have a standard design template to reduce design and construction costs for applicants.
Bicycle parking may be incorporated into or adjacent to the parklet.
PHILADELPHIA, PA
Before, during construction, and after—parklet on 44th Street.
SAN FRANCISCO PARKLET PROGRAM
San Francisco’s Parklet Program converts parking spots into vibrant public spaces. Parklets extend the sidewalk and provide neighborhood amenities like seating, landscaping, bike parking, and art. Through an application process that requires documented neighborhood support, the program allows the community to actively participate in the beautification and creative use of the public realm. Designs are accessible and inclusive, inviting pedestrians, bicyclists, and shoppers to linger, relax, and socialize. Each parklet has a distinct, site-specific design that reflects the neighborhood’s unique character.
Process
Each year, an interagency team, led by the San Francisco Planning Department, issues requests for parklet proposals. Storeowners, community organizations, business improvement districts, residents, and nonprofit institutions may apply to sponsor a parklet. Sponsors must conduct community outreach, design the parklet, fund its construction, undertake maintenance, and supply liability insurance. Materials and designs must be temporary and removable, and sponsors must renew parklet permits annually.
Design
San Francisco’s parklets generally meet the following design requirements:
- Replace 1–2 parallel, or 3 perpendicular or diagonal parking spaces.
- Be sited on streets with speed limits of 25 mph or less and slopes below 5 percent.
- Have no interference with utility access, fire hydrants, disabled parking, bus zones, or curbside drainage.
- Meet construction standards of both the San Francisco Building Code and the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines.
- Include wheel stops, reflective elements at corners, and a buffered edge.
- Incorporate high-quality, durable materials.
Privately sponsored and funded, parklets represent an economical means of expanding and energizing public space. The program launched in 2010 with six pilot parklets and has since expanded.
- UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, Reclaiming the Right of Way (Los Angeles: University of California Los Angeles, 2012),
148. ↩︎ - Parklet permit costs range from $1,000–2,000.
San Francisco Parklet Manual (San Francisco: San Francisco Planning Department, 2013).
Parklet FAQ (San Francisco: San Francisco Planning Department, 2013). ↩︎ - The Great Streets Project conducted a study in 2011 about the impacts of San Francisco parklets that found generally positive results relating to economics.
Liza Pratt, Parklet Impact Study (San Francisco: SF Great Streets Project, 2011). ↩︎ - Reclaiming the Right of Way (Los Angeles: UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, University of California Los Angeles, 2012), 109. ↩︎
- For a comparison of various cities parklet standards, see:
Reclaiming the Right of Way (Los Angeles: UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, University of California Los Angeles, 2012), 87. ↩︎ - Philadelphia Parklet Program Guidelines (Philadelphia: Mayor’s Office of Transportation & Utilities, 2013). ↩︎