What is a Parklet?
A parklet is a bit like a pocket park but on the road. It’s typically an extended platform over a parking space covering one, two or as many car parking bays as you want to convert. Parklets range in type and quality, from temporary grass-covered mini-parks to moveable semipermanent wood decks with elements such as, but not limited to seating, tables, planters with planting and greenery, green roof, pergola, bike parking or lighting that reflect the unique character and needs of the location. They are typically characterised by their adjacency to the sidewalk and ability to extend the social life of the sidewalk.
Find out more about our Parklets in our latest brochure:
Similar to the goals of open streets initiatives, parklets are designed to encourage pedestrian activity and non-motorised transportation, increase neighbourhood interaction and the development of social capital, and increase economic activity in the area.
Parklets can serve as an important focal point when transforming streets from car dominated environments to community hubs.
How to turn car parking spaces into people places.
Parklets are intended to provide space for people to sit, relax and enjoy the city around them, providing aesthetic enhancement to the overall streetscape.
To encourage more people to use active modes of transport like cycling or walking, these mini parks are usually designed with cyclists in mind. They're safe spaces where you can leave your bike while you explore the city centre, go for a bite to eat, or refuel with a coffee.
By not requiring a permanent concrete base, Parklets are a much faster and less expensive way for the City to bring improvements to a neighbourhood.
Parklets are classed as temporary measures as they can be moved very easily. Most parklets have a decked area, which takes into account the camber of the road and level with the kerb so as to avoid a trip hazard.
Many believe the future of urban living is one that is not dominated by cars but by nature. The pandemic has shown us the importance of green spaces to our wellbeing and mental health.
This shift towards outdoor spaces has paved the way for more Parklets, with hundreds being installed in London alone over the past year.
THE Brief History of Parklets
The first Park(ing) Day, San Francisco. (Project and image by Rebar Group)
Parklets were first introduced in 2005 in San Francisco. Two of the leaders of the design firm Rebar went outside around lunchtime, crossed the street, and began installing a mini-park in a metered parking space. They set out a bench, added some turf, and dropped in a shade tree. A single metered parking space was now a temporary park.
The city pioneered the concept of turning parking spots into extensions of sidewalks, complete with seating and greenery. Since then, parklets have become an increasingly popular way to add green space to cities across the country.
Many cities have launched "parklets" programs to add more recreational areas and reduce vehicle traffic. San Francisco has led the country in parklets for years, and its Parklet Manual has inspired other cities to bring parklets to their streets.
Type of Parklets
1.Community Parklet
These parklets create vibrant community spaces with fixed furnitures like seating area with benches, tables, planters, bike storage and all members of the community can use them. They can be installed on highways, high streets and town squares. To give an extra protection from pollution and noise, green screens can be integrated.
All of these parklets are DDA compliant which provide access for wheelchairs and they offer accessibility for disabled people.
We have designed and installed Community Parklets all across the UK: Camden Streateries, Hammersmith & Fulham Parklets, Neston Parklet
Community Parklet in Barnes
2.Hospitality Parklet
Hospitality Parklets normally consist of an empty decking space - with metal pose and metal rail which goes around the outside with a wire rope - so its three sides are blocked off from traffic.
The hospitality unit can bring its own furniture and they can use that space as they want. With permission from the councils restaurants can purchase their own furnitures or they can be provided from the council.
They can have green screens and toughened glass screens like Merton Road parklets which protect from pollution and weather.
Hospitality Parklets - Charlotte Street
3.School Parklet
School parklets provide attractive greenery and flowers for the street as well as a bench to allow passers-by to pause and enjoy the surroundings. These Parklets can include innovations in terms of educational games integrated in them like a blackboard with interesting facts, magnetic games , graphics and chalkboards.
Parklets can be used as modal planters to slow down the busy traffic and create a greener and safer environments around schools for the benefit of children and parents.
Drury Lane School Parklet
4.Study Hubs
Study Hubs include seating and high tables which offers the perfect place for students to socialise with each other and hold meetings surrounded by greenery.
We have designed and installed two Study Hubs at Imperial College London in west London with innovative features such as:
Solar Technology: students are able to charge up their devices such as mobile phones, tablets and PC’s
Green Roof absorb rainwater and allows excess water to feed the planters below.
Parklet can be accessed by ramps on all sides and vinyl stickers can be used for university branding.
Parklet at Imperial College of London
5.Mobility Hubs
The Mobility Hub concept brings together public transport with shared transport options, such as bike share schemes, e-bikes storage , electric vehicle and car charging points with walking and cycling provision and urban realm improvement.
Our Parklets in Redbridge have been awarded the UK's 1st Accredited Mobility Hub. The Redbridge hub is the first in the UK to meet the standards set by national shared transport charity Collaborative Mobility UK (CoMoUK).
(image courtesy of COMO)
6.Pocket Park
Pocket parks are like mini parks designed for use in the public realm around urban areas where people can relax, exercise, socialise and play. These small parks are helping communities transform unloved, neglected or derelict areas into new green spaces.
What innovations are possible with parklets?
Parklets have come a long way since our first installations over 5 years ago.
They now have solar panels which provide lighting and power for charging the users mobile phones.
They also have green roofs to attract biodiversity and with water attenuation tanks, these can capture rainwater to prevent flooding and the water can be used for the planters.
We were asked by Enfield Council to design and build a Solar Powered Parklet with green roof to be piloted on their high street. This parklet is able to charge up devices such as mobile phones, tablets and PC’s allowing people to use the Parklet to work from.
Parklets can be designed to have Wi-Fi incorporated into them, which makes sponsoring the parklet more attractive as users register to use the Wi-Fi.
Our School Parklets located outside schools even contain a variety of games for children, making them family-friendly spots.
What are the benefits of Parklets?
Research has shown that Parklets and green spaces can:
Encourage active travel by promoting access to walking and cycling
Improve mental health and wellbeing
Improve revenue and footfall for local businesses and retail areas by engaging the local community
Support local economic growth
Provide places to stop and rest, with shade and shelter
Reduce the effects of pollution through healthy greening
Improve accessibility and safety
Create new and vibrant public spaces providing local amenities.
The Parklet ToolKit
A toolkit or parklet manual would help provide information on the application process, fees, responsibilities, design guidelines, and technical requirements, making it easier for clients to understand the full system in order to help the spread of Parklets on our streets.
Also, a portal with location requests would also be beneficial, so people, businesses and local authority are able to recommend a location that needs a parklet.
Lastly, clear engagement needs to take place through something like a Twitter parklet page that could contain feedback on the parklets installed.
This toolkit offers a step-by-step guide, which can be used by local authorities and local businesses. It explains what processes need to be followed to ensure a successful Parklet installation.
Meristem Design is working with a number of local authorities to adapt this toolkit into a planning process allowing businesses and local community groups to submit a planning request to their local council to make the roll out of Parklets easier for all parties. The process to install a Parklet needs to be as easy as it is for a business to apply for an outdoor furniture licence.Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Parklet FAQ
Do parklets need planning permission?
No, if they are on the carriageway a traffic management order and change of use is required. In response to Covid-19, a Pavement Licence regime is in place, which is administered by local authorities, and is designed to make it easier for bars, restaurants and pubs to seat and serve customers outdoors on streets, pavements and in parking spaces through temporary changes.
Who maintains the Parklets?
A comprehensive maintenance package is available from the suppliers to keep the plants healthy. This includes: removal of dead leaves, any debris, plant feed, pruning and plant replacements (due to natural failures or anti-social behaviour).
Do parklets attract anti-social behaviour?
You may expect them to, but parklets tend to be relatively trouble-free. The trick is to find a good location and involve the local business. It is a good idea to install notices about litter and smoking, and to have bins located next to the parklets.
Who pays for Parklets?
Presently, most funding is coming from public sources. In London much of the funding was from the Mayor’s office and various complementary measures such as the Liveable Neighbourhoods programme. However more recently many of them have been funded by projects that are aimed at reviving the high street such as the Future High Street Fund.
Private sector funding is being made available from corporate sponsorship, which can pay for building the parklet as well as the ongoing maintenance.
Doesn’t the loss of parking space have a negative impact on the neighbouring businesses?
No, actually all the evidence from the UK and US shows businesses where parklets are located outside have shown a 20% to 30% uplift in revenue within the first 12 months.
Many customers of bars and coffee shops enjoy the alfresco experience, but most pavements are very narrow and so extending the seating onto the carriageway seems perfectly sensible.
Are Parklets Street Furnitures?
Yes, all Parklets are street furnitures but not all street furnitures are parklets. Street furniture is a collective term (also called road furniture) for objects added to roads, footpaths and verges to help influence road user behaviour and assist pedestrians.
Suggest a new Parklet location
We want to make sure there’s always a parklet in your area for you to relax and enjoy the city. If you have a suggestion for a Parklet location, let us know using this form! We’ll ask you a few key questions so we can understand why you are suggesting the Parklet, so that we can start the process of getting approval from your local authority.
Meristem's Parklets:
Award Winning H&F Parklets
Winner of the Best Healthy Streets Improvement District Project at the Healthy Streets Awards 2018!
We have transformed 8 grey parking spaces into 4 vibrant, contemporary Parklets on Hammersmith Grove.
This project was a collaboration between a large number of partners and supporters who include:
Hammersmith BID
Mayor of London
Medidata
Meristem Design (Design. Project Managing and Installing).
Shoreditch Parklet
Located on Calvert Avenue, just off Shoreditch High Street, Meristem's Parklet installation is in the heart of the urban, bustling and inspiring design landscape of Shoreditch. As such, our design has bought some calm and sanctuary to this busy road, and created an environment that passers by, and coffee shop goers can enjoy the greenery that the Parklet provides.
This venture is a joint partnership between Hackney Council, Islington Council and Tower Hamlets Council, with backing from the Mayor of London's office. The Parklet is part of a larger initiative to encourage green spaces, cleaner air, and promote cycling, under the Len City Fringe initiative and the Low Emissions Neighbourhood programme.
