In an effort to promote community programs and initiatives, BikeDFW is able to offer our friends in the community an opportunity to share information via our website. This page is part of that effort. We hope you benefit from the information shared.
This modular parklet is designed as a prototype with open-source plans for anyone to use.
Downloadable Plans will be available here in January 2021.
This parklet will be installed at Veracruz Cafe in the Bishop Arts District on Dec 22, 2020. It is the first permanent parklet to be permitted and installed in Dallas-Fort-Worth.
Parklets have many social, environmental, and economic benefits. This particular design elevates bicycle parking to a beautiful, convenient experience, while providing gathering space for patrons to dine or passers by to relax with friends. Cities throughout the world have been allowing parklets and there is data to support parklet benefits, listed in the Best Practices Guidebook.
Parklet Best Practices Guide
Each planter box here is a separate module to allow a business to mix and match according to how much space they have available and the amount of seating versus bicycle parking desired.
This parklet was designed and installed with a Green Blue Grey Grant from the North Central Texas Council of Governments, to promote cross-industry innovation for transportation projects that incorporate blue and green infrastructure.
Downloadable Plans will be available here in January 2021.
This parklet will be installed at Veracruz Cafe in the Bishop Arts District on Dec 22, 2020. It is the first permanent parklet to be permitted and installed in Dallas-Fort-Worth.
Parklets have many social, environmental, and economic benefits. This particular design elevates bicycle parking to a beautiful, convenient experience, while providing gathering space for patrons to dine or passers by to relax with friends. Cities throughout the world have been allowing parklets and there is data to support parklet benefits, listed in the Best Practices Guidebook.
Parklet Best Practices Guide
Each planter box here is a separate module to allow a business to mix and match according to how much space they have available and the amount of seating versus bicycle parking desired.
This parklet was designed and installed with a Green Blue Grey Grant from the North Central Texas Council of Governments, to promote cross-industry innovation for transportation projects that incorporate blue and green infrastructure.
- GREEN: This parklet includes native landscaping in planters which will capture rainwater and add greenery to the hardscape of 8th Street.
- BLUE: Bicycle transportation lowers emissions and lowers the amount of street motor oil from automobiles that contaminates stormwater runoff into our creeks and rivers.
- GREY: Bicycle transportation to walkable commercial districts such as the Bishop Arts District lowers the need for car parking, improving the experience for all. More pedestrians and cyclists on the road also increases safety as more people are visible present with more “eyes on the street.”
Jim Lake Co. and Veracruz Cafe owners teamed up to bring the parklet to 8th St at Bishop St directly in front of the Cafe Veracruz restaurant, one of the oldest restaurants in the Bishop Arts District.
In a 2020 interview on the Active Towns podcast, Popken talks about the need for bike parking to be “sexier” with more visibility and the need for smaller, more intimate social spaces like parklets in neighborhood retail districts. This parklet achieves both.
What is a Parklet?
A place created in the public right of way, typically in a parallel parking space, whereby a raised platform extends the sidewalk to provide amenities such as seating, bike parking, and space for congregating.
Parklet Permitting & Regulations
The municipality where a parklet is planned will need to approve this use of public or private space before installation. Most cities do not have specific regulations allowing parklets. Some cities may grant access to public right of way for uses such as outdoor sidewalk seating and may allow parklets to fall in this category.
Smaller towns may not require a lengthy approval process, whereas larger cities may necessitate establishing a pilot program or other such temporary experimental permit process. Amanda Popken Development is available to consult with businesses or municipalities interested in installing a parklet or creating a new parklet program.
In a 2020 interview on the Active Towns podcast, Popken talks about the need for bike parking to be “sexier” with more visibility and the need for smaller, more intimate social spaces like parklets in neighborhood retail districts. This parklet achieves both.
What is a Parklet?
A place created in the public right of way, typically in a parallel parking space, whereby a raised platform extends the sidewalk to provide amenities such as seating, bike parking, and space for congregating.
Parklet Permitting & Regulations
The municipality where a parklet is planned will need to approve this use of public or private space before installation. Most cities do not have specific regulations allowing parklets. Some cities may grant access to public right of way for uses such as outdoor sidewalk seating and may allow parklets to fall in this category.
Smaller towns may not require a lengthy approval process, whereas larger cities may necessitate establishing a pilot program or other such temporary experimental permit process. Amanda Popken Development is available to consult with businesses or municipalities interested in installing a parklet or creating a new parklet program.
The Team
The grant for design and installation of this parklet was secured and managed by Amanda Popken fo the eponymous Amanda Popken Development and the design team included Bob Meckfessel and Andrea Gonzalez of architecture firm DSGN Associates, Mikel Wilkens of TBG. It is constructed by Gary Bucker, Andrew Patton, and the team at Stash Design with landscaping by Jenn Sereno of STARTS Permaculture.
The grant for design and installation of this parklet was secured and managed by Amanda Popken fo the eponymous Amanda Popken Development and the design team included Bob Meckfessel and Andrea Gonzalez of architecture firm DSGN Associates, Mikel Wilkens of TBG. It is constructed by Gary Bucker, Andrew Patton, and the team at Stash Design with landscaping by Jenn Sereno of STARTS Permaculture.
Benefits of Parklets
Many businesses right now, amid the Coronavirus pandemic, are focused on keeping staff employed and doors open right now. Parklets help by providing space for patrons to dine outdoors, and creating street activity which attracts more customers and entices them to stay longer and spend more money at nearby businesses.
Parklets also contribute to the sense of safety on the street, by creating a barrier between the sidewalk activity and automobile traffic. The mini-parks and plazas created by parklets enhance the pedestrian experience, creating a sense of place, inviting people to linger, and increasing the human presence with “eyes on the street” which has proven to increase safety.
• In a 2011 study of San Francisco parklets "The number of people stopping to to socialize and engage in positive behavior increased significantly…especially on weekdays”
The parklet team for this project is hopeful that this will be the beginning of a movement creating more parklets across DFW, enhancing street life, and enlivening mixed-use neighborhoods.
Many businesses right now, amid the Coronavirus pandemic, are focused on keeping staff employed and doors open right now. Parklets help by providing space for patrons to dine outdoors, and creating street activity which attracts more customers and entices them to stay longer and spend more money at nearby businesses.
Parklets also contribute to the sense of safety on the street, by creating a barrier between the sidewalk activity and automobile traffic. The mini-parks and plazas created by parklets enhance the pedestrian experience, creating a sense of place, inviting people to linger, and increasing the human presence with “eyes on the street” which has proven to increase safety.
• In a 2011 study of San Francisco parklets "The number of people stopping to to socialize and engage in positive behavior increased significantly…especially on weekdays”
- This in turn helps adjacent businesses - especially restaurants with quick turnover, little seating inside, and large windows overlooking the parklet.
The parklet team for this project is hopeful that this will be the beginning of a movement creating more parklets across DFW, enhancing street life, and enlivening mixed-use neighborhoods.
