tag:theconversation.com,2011:/au/topics/parklets-47159/articlesparklets – The Conversation2022-01-05T18:21:53Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1735452022-01-05T18:21:53Z2022-01-05T18:21:53ZParklets, traffic-free zones and outdoor eating: how COVID is transforming our cities<p>The pandemic, as the United Nations secretary general, António Guterres, <a href="https://www.un.org/en/coronavirus/covid-19-urban-world">acknowledged in July 2020</a>, is a deeply urban crisis. COVID has flourished due to the things that are a city’s strengths: population density and diversity, concentrations of logistics and mobility networks, fluid population bases. </p>
<p>It has also flourished due to the deep, structural flaws in many of our cities: poor air quality, food inequalities, crowded or unaffordable housing, poor provision of public space, often unhealthy populations. Long-standing systemic health and social inequities have exacerbated the impact of the pandemic on city residents, disproportionately affecting racial and ethnic minority groups. </p>
<p>When the coronavirus first hit, people <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/the-death-of-the-city-coronavirus-towns-cities-retail-transport-pollution-economic-crisis/">speculated</a> that it might even bring about <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/12/upshot/covid-cities-predictions-wrong.html">the end</a> of the city. <a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2021/03/02/future-of-cities-will-shape-post-covid-19-world">Evidence</a> from around the world, however, suggests that cities are simply adapting, as they have always done. </p>
<p>In response to the crisis, city governments have altered the urban environment rapidly and effectively. A 2020 review of city-based COVID-19 innovations <a href="https://www.oecd.org/coronavirus/policy-responses/cities-policy-responses-fd1053ff/">by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)</a> shows how councils have tinkered, trialled and retrofitted in ways that were unthinkable before the pandemic hit. </p>
<h2>Tactical responses</h2>
<p>Both cities and citizens have often shown that they can adapt rapidly under crisis conditions. A two-day transport strike in London in 2014 <a href="https://academic.oup.com/qje/article-abstract/132/4/2019/3857744">prompted</a> approximately 250,000 commuters to reconsider their regular routes, changing their mobility habits permanently.</p>
<p>Centuries earlier, the rebuilding of London after the great fire of 1666 ended up being more improvised than planned. But it also resulted in English physicist-architect Robert Hooke helping <a href="http://www.neam.co.uk/hooke/london.html">to develop</a> the city’s first meaningful building codes. </p>
<p>More broadly, responses to infectious diseases have influenced the way the urban environment has evolved. The <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7150208/">British surgeon apothecary John Snow</a> is known for his experiments on a Soho water pump in 1854. He identified cholera as a water-borne disease, which led to systemic transformations in the urban water supply. </p>
<p>During COVID, street usage in cities around the world has shifted, partially, and at least temporarily, towards walking, cycling, outdoor eating, greenery and the local economy. Small parks – sometimes called <a href="https://www.livingstreets.org.uk/about-us/our-work-in-action/campaigning-for-parklets">parklets</a> – have sprung out of reconfigured car parks or taken over on-road parking spaces. Diners have eaten out on temporarily rethought pavements. </p>
<p>Embracing such <em>al fresco</em> possibilities has of course been a health necessity, precipitated by the pandemic. It has also emphasised the essential value of convivial places with cultural activity, local engagement – and fresh air. </p>
<p>New York offers an example of how cities might capture data and learn from these tactical, reactive solutions – which can be thought of as prototypes – to improve people’s lives in the long term. With its <a href="https://www1.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/pedestrians/openrestaurants.shtml">Open Restaurants program</a>, the city has focused on expanding outdoor seating options for thousands of food establishments, documenting everything via a publicly accessible platform. </p>
<p>At the same time, many of these changes have simply been about projecting some tangible sense at normality. They have often only served a relatively small number of residents. </p>
<h2>From fix to fixture</h2>
<p>More broadly, the <a href="https://www.covidmobilityworks.org/">Covid Mobility Works</a> website has collated examples of fixes, from more than 245 cities, that have sought to aid equity and accessibility, the transport of goods and people, public engagement and health and safety, among other categories. In Berlin, some new bike lanes were designed and approved within ten days, rather than the months it had previously taken. Pop-up bike lanes have appeared everywhere elsewhere too, from Budapest and Bogotá to Mexico City and Dublin. The city of Mumbai has appointed cycle councillors to all 24 of its civic wards.</p>
<p>In England, the quieter, safer and sometimes modified streets meant the number of cycling trips made by women <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/sep/22/cycling-trips-made-by-women-in-england-rose-50-in-2020-study-finds">rose by 50%</a> in 2020. London fast-tracked its low-traffic neighbourhoods by some years, even if the rush to implement them meant engagement and planning was sometimes lacking. Similar schemes in <a href="https://at.govt.nz/projects-roadworks/innovating-streets-for-people/">New Zealand’s cities</a> and <a href="https://vancouver.ca/home-property-development/places-for-people-downtown.aspx">Vancouver</a> to create healthy, sustainable neighbourhoods have been comparatively well considered.</p>
<p>These aren’t exactly new endeavours. Urban development experts have been working on such concepts for years. These include Barcelona’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/superblocks-barcelonas-car-free-zones-could-extend-lives-and-boost-mental-health-123295">superblock</a> car-free zones and the <a href="https://www.wired.co.uk/article/15-minute-neighbourhood-covid">15-minute city concept</a> – which aims to have residents live, work and shop all within a 15-minute radius – that has been implemented in Paris. In Sweden, meanwhile, the hyperlocal <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2021-01-05/a-tiny-twist-on-street-design-the-one-minute-city">one-minute city</a> model involves planning focused at single-street level: residents have a say in how much space is given over to cars. And in <a href="https://www.seattle.gov/transportation/projects-and-programs/programs/stay-healthy-streets">Seattle</a>, the local government is opening up 45 miles of neighbourhood greenways – not only as a COVID-19 fix, but a step towards making the city liveable in the long term. </p>
<p>The impact of increased shopping and working online also predates the pandemic, yet a diverse array of urban lockdowns has pulled focus on these awkward questions too. Only a handful of cities are coherently addressing all of these linked challenges systemically.</p>
<p>The pandemic can be seen as having instituted a period of <a href="https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/9502904/">forced experimentation</a> and forward thinking. But beyond the immediate tactical responses by local governments, and the visceral experiences of residents, cities face deeper strategic challenges. If we can see the links between these patterns associated with COVID-19 and other, deeper crises – the climate crisis, mass migration, social justice – there may be much to gain from the apparently mundane COVID-induced changes to our urban environments. Cities thrive not simply as economic powerhouses but also as inclusive, diverse communities and <a href="https://covidandsociety.com/economics-urban-wellbeing-population-mental-health-critical-economic-resilience-cities/">regenerative places</a>. </p>
<p><em>A <a href="https://covidandsociety.com/fix-to-fixture-which-covid-driven-urban-innovations-here-to-stay-long-term/">longer version</a> of this article can be read on the IPPO Cities website.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/173545/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michele Acuto receives funding from the Australian and UK governments, several philanthropic organisations and three UN agencies. He is also affiliated with the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dan Hill works for Vinnova, the Swedish government’s innovation agency, which coordinates and funds the One-Minute City projects referenced in the article.</span></em></p>Residents across the world have seen how the pandemic has ushered in changes – shall and big – to the way their cities look and function.Michele Acuto, Professor of Global Urban Politics and Director, Connected Cities Lab, The University of MelbourneDan Hill, Visiting Professor of Practice, UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose, UCLLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1595342021-05-03T20:07:11Z2021-05-03T20:07:11ZWhat next for parklets? It doesn’t have to be a permanent switch back to parking<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/398254/original/file-20210503-18-t83h1v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C25%2C1871%2C1237&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Brunswick Street, Fitzroy.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Outdoor dining on former parking spaces – generally known as <a href="https://theconversation.com/people-love-parklets-and-businesses-can-help-make-them-happen-87172">parklets</a> – has proliferated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Reduced demand for parking coincided with increased demand for outdoor space – but when the pandemic subsides, <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/melbourne-mulls-making-outdoor-dining-parklets-permanent-20210430-p57nv4.html">cities must decide</a> what comes next. Is this a temporary change before we return to the car-dependent city, or can it help us create a better city? </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/398252/original/file-20210503-13-ev3ucn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A map of parklets across Melbourne in April 2021." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/398252/original/file-20210503-13-ev3ucn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/398252/original/file-20210503-13-ev3ucn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/398252/original/file-20210503-13-ev3ucn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/398252/original/file-20210503-13-ev3ucn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/398252/original/file-20210503-13-ev3ucn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/398252/original/file-20210503-13-ev3ucn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/398252/original/file-20210503-13-ev3ucn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">A map of parklets across Melbourne in April 2021.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
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<p>What has happened is that one kind of temporary private appropriation of public space (parking) has been traded for another (dining). This has been a very effective adaptation to the need for spatial distancing and to avoid indoor spaces. It has helped many hospitality businesses to survive. </p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-cant-let-coronavirus-kill-our-cities-heres-how-we-can-save-urban-life-137063">We can't let coronavirus kill our cities. Here's how we can save urban life</a>
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<p>Parklets are concentrated in locations where restaurants and bars front onto walkable streets with limited footpath capacity and permanent strips of parking space. It is the future of these strips that is most immediately at stake. Where do public interests lie as we decide between a return to parking, retention of parklets, or some other uses?</p>
<p>To be sure, the use of public space for alfresco dining and drinking has a public benefit that parking does not. Parklets contribute to the atmosphere, vitality and sense of place of the street. Increased social activity also <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-does-the-new-normal-look-like-for-womens-safety-in-cities-140169">makes the area safer</a>. </p>
<p>Yet street parking is a public amenity too. Our cities’ long-standing dependency on private cars will not vanish overnight. As the pandemic abates, the demand for parking will return, along with the <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/outdoor-dining-under-a-cloud-as-cash-strapped-council-misses-parking-fees-20210210-p5714a.html">lure of parking revenue</a> for local councils. </p>
<p>However, the costs and benefits of urban driving and parking are rapidly changing due to lower speed limits, congestion charging, ridesharing and ultimately autonomous vehicles.</p>
<h2>It’s not an either-or choice</h2>
<p>A first point here is that we do not need to choose between parking and parklets because they are highly interchangeable. With a standard area of about 2 metres by 5 metres, parklets can be created and removed flexibly and in stages. Parking and parklets can be complementary: the two functions could interchange according to user preferences over daily, weekly and seasonal cycles.</p>
<p>Parklets <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-09-15/a-brief-history-of-park-ing-day">first emerged</a> in San Francisco, as an urban guerrilla movement briefly turned parking spaces into public parks while feeding the meter. These parklets were defiantly public – turning private parking into publicly accessible space. </p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/people-love-parklets-and-businesses-can-help-make-them-happen-87172">People love parklets, and businesses can help make them happen</a>
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<p>If we decide to retain parklets, then should they only be available for commercial appropriation, or also for pocket parks and mini-plazas with free and open access? And what other <a href="https://thebolditalic.com/san-franciscos-weird-and-wonderful-parklets-8859f5dd736a">uses and designs</a> are possible?</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/398255/original/file-20210503-23-18wfepv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="parklet set up for streetside eating" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/398255/original/file-20210503-23-18wfepv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/398255/original/file-20210503-23-18wfepv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=477&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/398255/original/file-20210503-23-18wfepv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=477&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/398255/original/file-20210503-23-18wfepv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=477&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/398255/original/file-20210503-23-18wfepv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/398255/original/file-20210503-23-18wfepv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/398255/original/file-20210503-23-18wfepv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Hotham Street in Collingwood, Melbourne.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
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<p>We might re-imagine the parking strip as a territory that is variously available for uses ranging from picnics, parties, market stalls, street vendors and urban greening to parking, restaurants and bars. Uses that involve private appropriation could continue to be a source of local government revenue. </p>
<p>However, the key is identifying the planning and design frameworks that maximise public benefit from scarce and valuable public spaces. While local businesses and residents have often become dependent on nearby street parking, there is no natural right to such private appropriation. On what basis should a business proprietor or resident have first access to a parking space if there is a better public use?</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/parking-isnt-as-important-for-restaurants-as-the-owners-think-it-is-74750">Parking isn't as important for restaurants as the owners think it is</a>
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<h2>Don’t forget bike lanes</h2>
<p>The other key competitor for this space is cycle lanes. Cycling is the best prospect for <a href="http://h2020-flow.eu/uploads/tx_news/FLOW_REPORT_-_Portfolio_of_Measures_v_06_web.pdf">easing pressure on roads</a> and public transport. With driving in our cities <a href="https://covid19.apple.com/mobility">above pre-pandemic levels</a>, the case for dedicated cycle lanes is now overwhelming. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/397971/original/file-20210430-15-1bpvegu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="chart showing levels of driving, walking and public transport use from January 2020 to April 2021" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/397971/original/file-20210430-15-1bpvegu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/397971/original/file-20210430-15-1bpvegu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397971/original/file-20210430-15-1bpvegu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397971/original/file-20210430-15-1bpvegu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397971/original/file-20210430-15-1bpvegu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=539&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397971/original/file-20210430-15-1bpvegu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=539&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397971/original/file-20210430-15-1bpvegu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=539&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Levels of driving across Australian cities are now consistently higher than before the pandemic.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://covid19.apple.com/mobility">Apple Mobility Trends</a></span>
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<p>For trips of up to 20 minutes, cycling enables access to an area <a href="https://minerva-access.unimelb.edu.au/handle/11343/230636">about nine times greater than walking</a> and often gives better access than driving or public transport. As bike lanes make cycling safer and faster, many more of us ride bikes instead of driving. Safe cycling requires lanes about 2m wide, the same as a parking strip – but in many streets they are in competition for the same space.</p>
<p>The question of what comes next for parklets requires us to take a detailed look at the structure of each particular street. Some streets already have wide footpaths and the parklets are a bonus. Others have more traffic lanes than needed, and that width might be reallocated for parklets. </p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/dont-forget-the-footpath-its-vital-public-space-115151">Don't forget the footpath – it's vital public space</a>
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<p>Main streets often have buses and trams that provide additional benefits and constraints. Adjacent, quieter and safer streets might be better for cycle lanes.</p>
<h2>Flexible solutions are likely to work best</h2>
<p>Innovative options will likely involve dynamic outcomes involving both parking and parklets. The parking strip might morph incrementally into a mix of parking, parklets, mini-parks and mini-plazas, with local demand determining the outcome. Another prospect is a mix of expanded footpath, cycle lane and calmed traffic. </p>
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<img alt="a streetside parklet set up for outdoor dining" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/397968/original/file-20210429-13-2tc3v2.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C8%2C2830%2C2109&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/397968/original/file-20210429-13-2tc3v2.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397968/original/file-20210429-13-2tc3v2.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397968/original/file-20210429-13-2tc3v2.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397968/original/file-20210429-13-2tc3v2.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397968/original/file-20210429-13-2tc3v2.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397968/original/file-20210429-13-2tc3v2.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Gertrude Street in Fitzroy, Melbourne.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
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<p>The different mixes may change with daily or seasonal rhythms, much as parking already yields to rush-hour clearways. Parklets might compete with car parking on a pay-as-you-go basis.</p>
<p>Rather than determining fixed outcomes, we should encourage a diversity of experiments from which we learn and adapt. Indeed, the proliferation of parklets can be seen as an experiment that works in many ways and not in others. Perhaps understandably, far too many are makeshift with minimal design and hampered by bureaucratic conventions. Many are little used for much of the time, just like parking spaces.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/of-all-the-problems-our-cities-need-to-fix-lack-of-car-parking-isnt-one-of-them-116179">Of all the problems our cities need to fix, lack of car parking isn't one of them</a>
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<p>The pandemic has presented the best opportunity we will see for transformative change in our streets. There is huge scope for imaginative design and planning as we explore the possibilities. </p>
<p>After a century or so of surrendering public space to the car, large amounts have been reclaimed for active social use. Public space was allocated for car parking in an earlier era when cars represented the freedom of the city. But when times change we should <a href="https://theconversation.com/we-cant-let-coronavirus-kill-our-cities-heres-how-we-can-save-urban-life-137063">change the city</a>. </p>
<p>If we hope for something better than a return to car dependency or further privatisation of public space, then the thinking about what happens next needs to start now.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/159534/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kim Dovey receives funding from the Australian Research Council. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Merrick Morley receives a stipend from the City of Melbourne for his PhD candidature </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Quentin Stevens receives funding from the Australian Research Council. </span></em></p>Roadsides have long been reserved for parking cars, but the pandemic led to many experiments with other ways of using scarce and valuable public space. We can put it to better and more flexible uses.Kim Dovey, Professor of Architecture and Urban Design, The University of MelbourneMerrick Morley, PhD Candidate, Architecture, Building and Planning, The University of MelbourneQuentin Stevens, Associate Professor, School of Architecture and Urban Design, RMIT UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1565912021-03-18T19:01:58Z2021-03-18T19:01:58ZIs temporary the new permanent? COVID street experiments open our eyes to creating better cities<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/389984/original/file-20210316-21-1dnmzoc.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C2048%2C1370&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Elissa McMillan</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Over the past year, many of us have enjoyed outdoor dining in spaces that would otherwise have been car parks or part of the road. These spaces are one example of the temporary projects that popped up to help cities in Australia and <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carltonreid/2020/04/22/paris-to-create-650-kilometers-of-pop-up-corona-cycleways-for-post-lockdown-travel/?sh=3936edb754d4">around the world</a> adapt to COVID. These quickly installed projects have met our changing needs for space for walking, <a href="https://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/projects/popup-covid-19-infrastructure/index.html">cycling</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/we-cant-let-coronavirus-kill-our-cities-heres-how-we-can-save-urban-life-137063">public space</a> and, of course, <a href="https://theconversation.com/4-ways-our-streets-can-rescue-restaurants-bars-and-cafes-after-coronavirus-139302">dining</a> to help businesses to stay afloat. </p>
<p>While these temporary projects were driven by the necessity for short-term fixes, we can draw deeper lessons from these experiences. They have been, intentionally or not, a large-scale experience with experimentation in cities, and short-and long-term impacts should flow. In the short term, some of these experiments can be become permanent. In the long term, wider-scale urban experiments can become a permanent feature of how we shape cities. </p>
<p>Experiments can help us navigate change in cities. They can also make us braver by allowing us to test out ideas that might fail or that not everyone seems to like. If the past year has made us more comfortable and confident with experimenting, all the better to help our cities meet the challenges ahead.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/4-ways-our-streets-can-rescue-restaurants-bars-and-cafes-after-coronavirus-139302">4 ways our streets can rescue restaurants, bars and cafes after coronavirus</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Opening our eyes to new possibilities</h2>
<p>At their simplest, of course, experiments test things. The projects that popped up during COVID have helped meet our short-term needs (well, we hoped they would be short-term) for different ways to live and get around, like <a href="https://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/traffic-and-road-use/cycling/pop-up-bike-lanes">pop-up bike lanes</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="pop-up bike lane alongside a busy road" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/390289/original/file-20210318-15-383pbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/390289/original/file-20210318-15-383pbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390289/original/file-20210318-15-383pbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390289/original/file-20210318-15-383pbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390289/original/file-20210318-15-383pbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390289/original/file-20210318-15-383pbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390289/original/file-20210318-15-383pbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A pop-up bike lane created along Heidelberg Road in inner Melbourne.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In making these short-term changes, we tried something new and perhaps we’ve found we like the results. </p>
<p>During COVID, I meandered down Lygon Street, Carlton, full of <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/melbourne-unveils-16-covid-safe-outdoor-dining-precincts-20201001-p560z2.html">new al fresco dining areas</a> making the street feel even more European. Along the Victorian coast, I sipped <a href="https://www.therip.com.au/news/lets-go-al-fresco">coffee in Skiplets</a>. It could always be this nice, I thought. </p>
<p>These projects are already sparking debate about the future use of streets and bringing the trade-offs into focus. One example is the <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/outdoor-dining-under-a-cloud-as-cash-strapped-council-misses-parking-fees-20210210-p5714a.html">trade-off between parking revenue and outdoor dining</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/390245/original/file-20210318-15-1hrmav9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="tables and chairs in a pop-up 'skiplet' set up in a parking space" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/390245/original/file-20210318-15-1hrmav9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/390245/original/file-20210318-15-1hrmav9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390245/original/file-20210318-15-1hrmav9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390245/original/file-20210318-15-1hrmav9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390245/original/file-20210318-15-1hrmav9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390245/original/file-20210318-15-1hrmav9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390245/original/file-20210318-15-1hrmav9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Skiplets were installed in parking spaces as pop-up eating places in the Victorian towns of Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Helen Rowe</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>What more can we gain from ‘tactical ubanism’?</h2>
<p>Well before COVID, cities started using temporary projects to test changes. From <a href="https://vimeo.com/22886687">New York</a> to <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-12-16/yarraville-pop-up-park-becomes-permanent-after-singing-protest/5970092">Yarraville</a>, cities used experiments to test out risky ideas and balance competing street uses. This is often referred to as <a href="http://tacticalurbanismguide.com/guides/tactical-urbanism-volume-2/">tactical urbanism</a> . </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-cant-let-coronavirus-kill-our-cities-heres-how-we-can-save-urban-life-137063">We can't let coronavirus kill our cities. Here's how we can save urban life</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Benefits gleaned from these experiences show we have much to gain from more experimenting beyond COVID. City experiments get things moving and let us figure out if an idea is a good one. </p>
<figure>
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/22886687" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen="" mozallowfullscreen="" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">New York City has remade its streets, seeking a better balance by providing more space for walking, biking and transit services.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In the aptly titled book <a href="http://www.jsadikkhan.com/streetfight-the-book.html">Street Fight</a>, former New York City transport commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan describes turning the tangled intersection at Times Square into a pedestrian plaza. It began as a temporary experiment. A lower-cost, temporary version meant getting the project on the ground right away, rather than spending years convincing everyone to build it permanently. The added advantage was collecting data during the trial to prove it actually worked. </p>
<h2>Overcoming suspicion of change</h2>
<p>Experiments help navigate change, which we don’t always like. Based on my <a href="https://apo.org.au/node/59916">own research</a>, street experiments help cities work with, not against, some people’s tendency to dislike change. </p>
<p>People’s hackles can go up in response to change. They prefer to stick with what’s familiar over something new. This is the type of status quo bias Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman discusses in <a href="https://www.penguin.com.au/books/thinking-fast-and-slow-9780141033570">Thinking Fast and Slow</a>. </p>
<p>A temporary experiment can help disarm this response. As one of my interviewees put it:</p>
<blockquote>
<p><em>“If change is worrisome, then it’s not that big a deal if we can come back to where we are today.”</em> </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Through experimenting, people allow themselves to try it. Often they also get to see their fears aren’t realised.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/dont-forget-the-footpath-its-vital-public-space-115151">Don't forget the footpath – it's vital public space</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="pop-up eating space with shade umbrellas and bike stand outside a cafe" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/390267/original/file-20210318-13-w3772b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/390267/original/file-20210318-13-w3772b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390267/original/file-20210318-13-w3772b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390267/original/file-20210318-13-w3772b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390267/original/file-20210318-13-w3772b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390267/original/file-20210318-13-w3772b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390267/original/file-20210318-13-w3772b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Parking space becomes a pop-up eating area in Brunswick, an inner Melbourne suburb.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Helen Rowe</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Experiments let us tweak projects to get them right. In 2008, Copenhagen rolled out a bold <a href="https://urban-leds.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/resources/case_studies/UrbanLEDS_case_story_Copenhagen_2015_Web.pdf">experiment on Nørrebrogade</a>, providing wider bike lanes and bus-only sections painted with huge red dots. Experimenting, they found, helped them have a better <a href="https://apo.org.au/node/59916">conversation with the community</a>. They were able to tweak the design in response to community feedback and evaluation.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-time-to-embrace-the-edge-spaces-that-make-our-neighbourhoods-tick-138826">A time to embrace the edge spaces that make our neighbourhoods tick</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Experiments also do the imagining for us. My current research (as yet unpublished) looks at ways city transport planners try to effect change. </p>
<p>One barrier to change planners discussed is that people often struggle to imagine how things could be different. Without this, they tend to happy to stick with the status quo. Experiments show us how streets can be different. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/390264/original/file-20210318-13-8zr7lo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="streetside pop-up parklet with artificial grass, potted plants, tables and chairs" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/390264/original/file-20210318-13-8zr7lo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/390264/original/file-20210318-13-8zr7lo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390264/original/file-20210318-13-8zr7lo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390264/original/file-20210318-13-8zr7lo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390264/original/file-20210318-13-8zr7lo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390264/original/file-20210318-13-8zr7lo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390264/original/file-20210318-13-8zr7lo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A pop-up parklet transforms the street in the inner Melbourne suburb of Ascot Vale.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Helen Rowe</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/people-love-parklets-and-businesses-can-help-make-them-happen-87172">People love parklets, and businesses can help make them happen</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>What stands in the way of more street experiments?</h2>
<p>My research suggests many city planners are striving to find new and better ways to explore change and help cities adapt to challenges. Many are starting to experiment with temporary projects, but it’s not always easy. </p>
<p>A number of transport planners I’ve talked with say doing temporary projects can be hard. That’s not because they are difficult to build but because the rules about what can be done on streets are set up for building things permanently. This can be a barrier to temporary experimenting. </p>
<p>However, after delivering many temporary projects during the pandemic, cities should now be well placed to embed processes that make street experiments easier. </p>
<p>Given COVID is just one of the many looming challenges facing our cities, being braver and adaptable is going to be more important that ever. Experimenting can help pave the way.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>The impact of temporary projects is the focus of the <a href="https://mpavilion.org/program/">MPavilion</a> event, <a href="https://mpavilion.org/program/is-temporary-new-permanent/">Is Temporary the New Permanent?</a>, on March 22.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/156591/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Helen Rowe receives an Australian Government Research Training Program Stipend Scholarship. She undertakes projects as an independent consultant occasionally alongside her doctoral research, mainly consulting to government. She is a member of Planning Institute of Australia and on the board of three not-for-profit organisations: Loci Environment & Place and two neighbourhood house related organisations. </span></em></p>Many people prefer the status quo as they struggle to imagine the alternatives. The pandemic has been the catalyst for urban experiments that have opened our eyes to new possibilities.Helen Rowe, PhD Candidate, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/871722017-12-05T19:21:54Z2017-12-05T19:21:54ZPeople love parklets, and businesses can help make them happen<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/197509/original/file-20171204-5424-qf1n3z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The Wray Avenue Solar Parklet by Seedesign Studio is in Fremantle. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Jean-Paul Horré</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>As councils across Australia strive to enhance their <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/healthy-liveable-cities-44685">liveability</a>, parklets are proving popular among city communities. A poll of 300-plus citizens gathered for the inaugural Perth City Summit in August found parklets are the street activation people would most like to see. But why are they so desirable?</p>
<p>San Francisco is central to the parklet story. In 2005, the design collective <a href="http://rebargroup.org/">Rebar</a> turned a parking space into a “park” for two hours as a comment on the use and control of public space in the city. This was followed in 2006 by the installation of more than 40 temporary parks for <a href="http://parkingday.org/">PARK(ing) Day</a>, now an annual international event. </p>
<hr>
<p><em><strong>Further reading:</strong> <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-day-for-turning-parking-spaces-into-pop-up-parks-65164">A day for turning parking spaces into pop-up parks</a></em></p>
<hr>
<p>By 2010, San Francisco had introduced a policy to help create parklets. This has set an important precedent for parklet policies in Australia and internationally.</p>
<p>There are now more than 50 parklets across San Francisco. According to its <a href="http://pavementtoparks.org/">Pavements to Parks</a> program, these parklets have “appeared … under the sponsorship of nonprofits, small businesses, neighborhood groups, and others”. </p>
<p>This account conveys a strong sense of democracy and accessibility: anyone can install a parklet in their city, and apparently many do. The Deepistan National Parklet (aka “the Deeplet”), the parklet installed by Deep Jawa outside his home in the Mission District, is a celebrated example.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/197502/original/file-20171204-5381-1d3jxg5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/197502/original/file-20171204-5381-1d3jxg5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/197502/original/file-20171204-5381-1d3jxg5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/197502/original/file-20171204-5381-1d3jxg5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/197502/original/file-20171204-5381-1d3jxg5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/197502/original/file-20171204-5381-1d3jxg5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/197502/original/file-20171204-5381-1d3jxg5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/197502/original/file-20171204-5381-1d3jxg5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Deepistan parklet is a celebrated example created by a community-minded individual.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ari/9899826405">Steve Rhodes/flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/197504/original/file-20171204-5392-1i6dzlc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/197504/original/file-20171204-5392-1i6dzlc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/197504/original/file-20171204-5392-1i6dzlc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=713&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/197504/original/file-20171204-5392-1i6dzlc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=713&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/197504/original/file-20171204-5392-1i6dzlc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=713&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/197504/original/file-20171204-5392-1i6dzlc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=896&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/197504/original/file-20171204-5392-1i6dzlc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=896&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/197504/original/file-20171204-5392-1i6dzlc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=896&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markhogan/6342797343/in/photolist-cSxoUj-oiLKhp-oiLJjn-oyepLE-oiLL5X-oC24uz-oAewcQ-oA4izh-g5Pxxr-g5PmK4-g5PJg9-g5PD1w-cw3iB5-cSxv7d-fik1aM-fAoeeo-cSxqz9-cSxtWW-ae8M3Y-cSxgAW-cSxuv7-cSxkXm-cSxuN5-dh1GEn-dh1GpD-cSxsjY-ayQJn6-cSxsVU-aEuuzV-ayQJjZ-ayQJpB-anPFwN-dpBGWK-aEuuET-as3qhq-arZMWp-dh1GxP-cEDKbu-aaVBBb-arZNr4-arZT1n-UTTLxW-dgSksz-dpBRLC-oAeuHC-ecFQx5-dpBHvp-dpBSn9-aBPZR9-arZNCK">Mark Hogan/flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The neglected role of business</h2>
<p>We hear much less about the businesses behind parklets. Cafes, bakeries, bars and pizza shops have installed almost all of the 50-plus parklets in San Francisco. Deepistan is exceptional not merely for its topiary dinosaur but for its non-commercial nature. </p>
<p>This is not surprising, since the proponent pays for installation and maintenance. And the costs are significant (typically these can be well over A$20,000).</p>
<p>The term “parklet” can be traced to San Francisco (it was coined by City planner Andres Power as a catchier name for Rebar’s proposed “walklet”). But there are many other precedents for the intervention itself. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/197505/original/file-20171204-5385-pc1w30.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/197505/original/file-20171204-5385-pc1w30.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/197505/original/file-20171204-5385-pc1w30.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/197505/original/file-20171204-5385-pc1w30.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/197505/original/file-20171204-5385-pc1w30.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/197505/original/file-20171204-5385-pc1w30.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/197505/original/file-20171204-5385-pc1w30.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/197505/original/file-20171204-5385-pc1w30.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Rebar’s temporary parklet in 2005, the first of many to show vividly how much space we set aside for private cars.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Perhaps the most obvious, given the strong connection between parklets and cafes, is the long-standing use of footpaths and roadways as restaurant dining areas. The <a href="https://www.vanscafe.com.au/whats-new/2017/10/3/happy-1st-birthday-to-our-parklet">parklet outside Vans Cafe</a> in Cottesloe, for example, was approved under an <a href="https://ablis.business.gov.au/service/wa/permit-for-an-outdoor-eating-area-in-a-street-or-public-place-alfresco-dining-/19265">alfresco dining licence</a>. Converting a parking space into a sitting space is hardly revolutionary.</p>
<p>Yet advocates of parklets rarely make this connection. The story of parklets as entirely new, stemming from Rebar’s DIY park, is far more appealing, suggesting a bottom-up, creative and democratic remaking of the public realm. The link to one of the world’s most innovation-rich cities doesn’t hurt, either.</p>
<p>The reluctance of planners and policymakers to connect parklets to business also reflects concerns about the commercialisation and commodification of the city. The problems of privately owned public spaces (“POPOs” – provided by large developers in exchange for variations to planning rules) are <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/jul/24/revealed-pseudo-public-space-pops-london-investigation-map">well documented</a>, particularly the issues of high levels of management and surveillance.</p>
<hr>
<p><em><strong>Further reading:</strong> <a href="https://theconversation.com/private-events-help-fund-public-parks-but-theres-a-cost-too-21343">Private events help fund public parks, but there’s a cost too</a></em></p>
<hr>
<p>Parklets, however, are not privately owned public spaces. Parklets are installed on public land, are temporary and cannot be controlled by the business that installed them. Each bears a sign proclaiming the public nature of the space. Anyone can use parklets, whether they buy something or not.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/197268/original/file-20171201-30919-17b8dbt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/197268/original/file-20171201-30919-17b8dbt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/197268/original/file-20171201-30919-17b8dbt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/197268/original/file-20171201-30919-17b8dbt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/197268/original/file-20171201-30919-17b8dbt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/197268/original/file-20171201-30919-17b8dbt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/197268/original/file-20171201-30919-17b8dbt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Parklets are only temporary structures paid for and built by the proposer.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">SDOT Photos/Flickr</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>One might critique parklets for their scale, their distribution or their use. They are tiny and do very little to meet important needs for play, exercise or engagement with nature. Some appear a little neglected; many are in areas that are already leafy.</p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/197506/original/file-20171204-5420-170vqza.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/197506/original/file-20171204-5420-170vqza.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/197506/original/file-20171204-5420-170vqza.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=776&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/197506/original/file-20171204-5420-170vqza.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=776&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/197506/original/file-20171204-5420-170vqza.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=776&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/197506/original/file-20171204-5420-170vqza.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=975&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/197506/original/file-20171204-5420-170vqza.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=975&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/197506/original/file-20171204-5420-170vqza.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=975&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">San Francisco’s Parklet Manual gives detailed instructions on creating a parklet.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://pavementtoparks.org/parklets/">City of San Francisco</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In San Francisco, some parklets have been rejected for fear they will contribute not to community empowerment but to gentrification.</p>
<h2>Why so popular?</h2>
<p>So how can we explain the popularity of the parklet? Perhaps because parklets support, and build off, the kinds of places people like – and these aren’t just <a href="https://theconversation.com/green-space-how-much-is-enough-and-whats-the-best-way-to-deliver-it-77393">green spaces</a>.</p>
<p>As US urban activist and writer <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-might-jane-jacobs-say-about-smart-cities-58278">Jane Jacobs</a> explained so powerfully, cities need more than parks and plazas: commercial activity is a crucial component of public life. Cafes are increasingly important sites for community interaction as other places for local exchange disappear, including banks, post offices, corner delis and newsagents, on top of the local hardware, haberdashery and other specialist shops lost to competition from larger retailers and the digital marketplace. Parklets present some hope for walkable, local commerce.</p>
<p>Or perhaps their popularity has more to do with the lack of options for public participation in shaping the city. Parklets may be led by businesses, but they are local businesses, sometimes supported with public or crowdsourced funds, and parklet policies mean that the spaces cannot be private. Opportunities for participation are often much greater than for the larger public spaces created by professionals. They also show vividly how much space we waste on private cars.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/197510/original/file-20171204-5406-10zff7z.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/197510/original/file-20171204-5406-10zff7z.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/197510/original/file-20171204-5406-10zff7z.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/197510/original/file-20171204-5406-10zff7z.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/197510/original/file-20171204-5406-10zff7z.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/197510/original/file-20171204-5406-10zff7z.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/197510/original/file-20171204-5406-10zff7z.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/197510/original/file-20171204-5406-10zff7z.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">North Perth’s Angove Street Off-cut Parklet, designed by NOMA.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.nomastudio.com.au/work/15-masterplanning/77-angove-street-offcut-parklet.html">NOMA</a>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>After parklets, the second-most-desired street activation, according to the Perth City Summit poll, was “creative installations”, followed by street events and murals. In comparison, parklets offer a more tangible and accessible option. </p>
<p>Clearly, we can’t rely on businesses alone to provide adequate and appropriate public spaces. The role of local and state governments in providing a high-quality public realm continues to be important. But parklets show that businesses are not all seeking to play the system. As we think about public life, parklets might provide a useful model to build on.</p>
<hr>
<p><em><strong>Further reading: <a href="https://theconversation.com/street-life-how-do-you-revive-a-dull-urban-area-23181">Street life: how do you revive a dull urban area?</a></strong></em></p>
<hr>
<p><em>The Conversation is co-publishing this and other articles with <a href="http://www.alva.uwa.edu.au/community/futurewest">Future West (Australian Urbanism)</a>, produced by the University of Western Australia’s Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Visual Arts. These articles look towards the future of urbanism, taking Perth and Western Australia as its reference point, with the latest series focusing on the public domain. You can read other articles <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/future-west-30248">here</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/87172/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Amelia Thorpe does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Many parklets are privately funded, but these projects often allow for more public participation than more traditional public spaces.Amelia Thorpe, Senior Lecturer and Director of Environmental Law Programs, UNSW SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/651642016-09-14T04:51:27Z2016-09-14T04:51:27ZA day for turning parking spaces into pop-up parks<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/137477/original/image-20160913-19251-it0s42.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">PARKing Day in Montreal, 2015.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Amelia Thorpe</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Parklets are popping up everywhere. Cities around the world – and increasingly across Australia from <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-09-18/pop-up-parks-catch-on-in-perth/6788094">Fremantle</a> to the <a href="http://www.qt.com.au/news/council-approves-parklet-trial-effort-improve-busi/1799512/">Fraser Coast</a> – are introducing programs to convert roadside parking spots into more green and sociable spaces. </p>
<p>In Sydney, Waverley Council’s <a href="http://www.waverley.nsw.gov.au/building/current_projects/bondi_junction_projects/great_places/urban_interventions">Urban Interventions</a> program received an award for “best planning idea” from the Planning Institute of Australia (NSW) in 2014. The Glebe Chamber of Commerce is running a <a href="mailto:https://pozible.com/project/glebe-parklet-share-your-city">crowdfunding campaign</a> to turn its pilot parklet into a more lasting installation.</p>
<p>Before parklets there was <a href="http://rebargroup.org/parking/">PARK(ing)</a>. In 2005, members of the San Francisco design collective Rebar paid an on-street parking meter for two hours. Rather than park a car, Rebar used the space to create a “park” with turf, a tree, a bench and signs inviting passers-by to sit and relax. Rebar then packed up and returned the space to its former condition.</p>
<p>While the event was not intended to continue beyond the initial two hours, photos and video were rapidly shared online. The images proved inspirational: requests quickly came from people asking how to create their own “parks”. Rebar responded by producing a how-to guide and decided to launch an event that would make a much bigger statement about the use of public space.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/137480/original/image-20160913-19266-14cse9c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/137480/original/image-20160913-19266-14cse9c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/137480/original/image-20160913-19266-14cse9c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137480/original/image-20160913-19266-14cse9c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137480/original/image-20160913-19266-14cse9c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137480/original/image-20160913-19266-14cse9c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137480/original/image-20160913-19266-14cse9c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137480/original/image-20160913-19266-14cse9c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">From little things … Rebar’s original pop-up park in San Francisco in 2005.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://my.parkingday.org/photo/albums/parking-the-first-parking-day">my.parkingday.org</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Going global</h2>
<p>In 2006, the first <a href="http://parkingday.org/archive/">PARK(ing) Day</a> was celebrated with 47 “parks” in 13 cities across three countries. The event grew rapidly, expanding to more than 200 parks in 2007 and featuring in the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2008. By 2011, PARK(ing) Day included almost 1,000 parks in 35 countries.</p>
<p>PARK(ing) Day has spread beyond the event itself. As well as parklet programs, the first of which was introduced in <a href="http://pavementtoparks.org/parklets/">San Francisco</a> in 2010, the day has inspired a number of other activities. </p>
<p>Participants have gone on to develop a range of related events, from the <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3069577/Skipsters-Charity-Melbourne-creates-mobile-park-street-using-SKIP-look-trendy-alternative-place-hang-out.html">skipsters</a> of Melbourne to the <a href="http://www.mtlblog.com/2015/05/montreals-free-summer-boardwalk-village-is-back-this-june/">temporary villages</a> of Montreal to the worldwide <a href="http://betterblock.org/">Better Block</a> movement.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/137496/original/image-20160913-19237-1676a7l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/137496/original/image-20160913-19237-1676a7l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/137496/original/image-20160913-19237-1676a7l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=575&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137496/original/image-20160913-19237-1676a7l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=575&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137496/original/image-20160913-19237-1676a7l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=575&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137496/original/image-20160913-19237-1676a7l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=722&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137496/original/image-20160913-19237-1676a7l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=722&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137496/original/image-20160913-19237-1676a7l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=722&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A pop-up parklet in Sydney in 2014 displays proof of payment for the use of the parking space.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Amelia Thorpe</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>At the core of PARK(ing) Day is an idea about law. Paying the parking meter was seen as a way to access ownership, albeit temporarily, in a city where the means to acquire legal title were beyond the reach of many residents.</p>
<p>Its instigators described this act as creating a “lease”, a property right that brought with it a right to engage in planning, by participating in the development of a vision of what could be and, significantly, in the (fleeting) material creation of that vision. </p>
<p>At first, the vision was for more parks in an area that – according to the city’s own maps – had little green space. In subsequent iterations in cities around the world, PARK(ing) Day participants have claimed and reclaimed the street in diverse and dynamic ways: from croquet greens to community health clinics, libraries to lemonade stands, bike workshops to weddings.</p>
<p>Turning a parking space into a park is a quirky idea, but even in 2005 it was not entirely new. Precedents can be found in many cities over many years: from the installations on California roads by Bonnie Ora Sherk in the 1970s, to the <a href="http://tlchamilton.blogspot.com/2001/07/parking-meter-party.html">Parking Meter Parties</a> held in Hamilton, Ontario, from 2001, to Ted Dewan’s <a href="http://www.wormworks.com/roadwitch/pages/livingroom.htm">road witching</a> in Oxford, UK, from 2003, to Michael Rakowitz’s 2004 <a href="http://www.michaelrakowitz.com/plot-proposition-i/">(P)LOT</a> projects in Vienna, Austria, and Trento, Italy. </p>
<p>Yet none of these precursors succeeded in engaging or inspiring people on such a grand scale.</p>
<h2>The power of a ‘sticky’ idea</h2>
<p>Rebar describes PARK(ing) Day as a “sticky” idea. With very little organisation – almost none in recent years, since Rebar no longer exists – the event has proved extremely durable. </p>
<p>While some participants engage consistently over many years (the Sydney office of <a href="http://fieldsofactivity.com/parking-day/">ARUP has built “parks”</a> seven times since 2008), most participate just a few times. PARK(ing) Day continues to attract new participants: North Sydney Girls High School and locals around Australia Street, Newtown, are some of the newest.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZjMLGCingNo?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Local residents transform parking spaces in Australia Street, Newtown.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The reach of PARK(ing) may be traced to the power of the initial image, or to the success (or luck) of Rebar in connecting with particularly influential people. </p>
<p>More than this, however, a key part of the event’s success is its connection to law. PARK(ing) Day was not presented as a protest, a plea for change, or a proposal for reform. On the contrary, PARK(ing) Day was expressly presented as something already legal. PARK(ing) Day provides a powerful invitation to citizens around the world to rethink the city and their place in it.</p>
<p>Friday, September 16, is the 11th PARK(ing) Day. Information and guidance <a href="http://www.parkingday.org">are available</a> Check it out. Better still, build your own “park”.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/65164/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Amelia Thorpe does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>This Friday is the 11th PARKing Day, when people pay a parking meter, then turn the space into a pop-up parklet. It’s a day that invites citizens to rethink the city and their place in it.Amelia Thorpe, Senior Lecturer and Director of Environmental Law Programs, UNSW SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/622772016-07-15T01:13:30Z2016-07-15T01:13:30ZUrban hacktivism: getting creative about involving citizens in city planning<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/130619/original/image-20160714-23350-1sr9mbx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Billboard hacktivism in Toronto, Canada.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.blogto.com/city/2012/07/guerrilla_art_group_hacks_dozens_of_astral_info_pillars/">blogTO</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">CC BY-NC-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Urban and regional planning, as an institutional practice, is increasingly criticised for failing to meet ordinary citizens’ needs. Enter “<a href="https://au.pinterest.com/murmuracc/urban-intervention/">hacktivism</a>”. </p>
<p>Fusing hacking and activism, the term has previously referred to using information technology to achieve political goals. While “hacking” often entails malicious attacks on websites, it has another meaning. Hacking also means innovative problem-solving by combining new ideas with readily available materials. </p>
<p>Examples include taking an old DVD and using it as a drink coaster, bending a paperclip to reset a digital device, or twisting a coat hanger to unblock a drain. These are do-it-yourself “hacks” like those of the television character <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088559/">MacGyver</a>.</p>
<p>Essentially, hacking is creative problem-solving. “Hackathons” are a case in point. <a href="http://bit.ly/inov8hack">Hackathons</a> involve the “brainstorming, designing and testing of ideas with change-makers”.</p>
<p>Hacktivism in this sense refers to grassroots problem-solving by like-minded people who are willing to “go round the back” of established institutions to achieve social objectives. Hacktivism reflects a growing disenchantment with mainstream institutions, pervasive <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-neoliberalisms-moral-order-feeds-fraud-and-corruption-60946">neoliberalism</a>, and cultures of consumption.</p>
<p>Hacktivism is different to “<a href="http://www.placehacking.co.uk">place-hacking</a>” by urban explorers. Recent examples of this include <a href="https://theconversation.com/look-out-behind-the-bus-stop-here-come-guerrilla-gardeners-digging-up-an-urban-revolution-29225">guerrilla gardens</a>, pop-up libraries, <a href="http://weburbanist.com/2014/03/12/city-hacktivism-12-fun-diy-urbanism-interventions/2/">repurposing</a> infrastructure and even disco traffic lights and <a href="http://www.smart-magazine.com/en/urban-hacks/">street pong</a>.</p>
<h2>What’s driving hacktivism?</h2>
<p>Hacktivism can challenge the trend among governing bodies to embrace neoliberal rhetoric about fast-tracking development. Cutting “red” and “green” tape disenfranchises residents. </p>
<p>Debates about <a href="https://theconversation.com/media-picture-of-urban-consolidation-focuses-more-on-a-good-scare-story-than-the-facts-58044">urban consolidation</a> are an example. Big developers seem to be able to bulldoze communities into accepting projects, which some residents feel will destroy the places they love, overshadow backyards, reduce privacy, increase congestion and noise, or even ruin neighbourhood character.</p>
<p>These concerns are often <a href="https://theconversation.com/calling-people-nimbys-wont-stop-development-arguments-25715">dismissed as “NIMBYism”</a> and self-interest. </p>
<p>But streamlined development assessment processes and “consultation” typically limit citizen engagement. Who can blame residents for getting angry?</p>
<p>Citizen groups, civic-minded planners, environmentalists and others are beginning to resist the <a href="https://theconversation.com/sydney-risks-becoming-a-dumb-disposable-city-for-the-rich-38172">privatisation of public spaces</a> and the <a href="https://theconversation.com/public-spaces-are-going-private-and-our-cities-will-suffer-60460">erosion of public functions</a> by offering alternatives. These range from interventions such as the <a href="https://betterbeaufort.com.au/parklets/">parklets</a> and pop-up venues of so-called “<a href="https://issuu.com/streetplanscollaborative/docs/tactical_urbanism_vol_2_final?backgroundColor=">tactical urbanism</a>” to more “activist”-oriented responses such as a <a href="http://www.planetizen.com/node/57714">Toronto group’s</a> subversive use of advertising billboards.</p>
<h2>Case studies in Australia</h2>
<p>In Australia, a small but growing cadre of residents is experimenting with hacktivism in planning. Two recent examples are instructive:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Gold Coast Hinterland and Environment Council’s (<a href="http://gecko.org.au/">GECKO</a>) initiative to “hack planning” by producing a community-led climate change action plan; and</p></li>
<li><p>organised community resistance to the “West Village” development in West End, Brisbane, where residents have developed their own collaborative planning processes to create an alternative vision for the site.</p></li>
</ul>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/129977/original/image-20160711-24087-fkb14u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/129977/original/image-20160711-24087-fkb14u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/129977/original/image-20160711-24087-fkb14u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=750&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/129977/original/image-20160711-24087-fkb14u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=750&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/129977/original/image-20160711-24087-fkb14u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=750&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/129977/original/image-20160711-24087-fkb14u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=943&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/129977/original/image-20160711-24087-fkb14u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=943&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/129977/original/image-20160711-24087-fkb14u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=943&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Challenging the developer’s model at a community picnic.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>West End has a history of community-based resistance to evictions and inappropriate or undesirable development. It also has a history of challenging developers and governments to engage in a more sophisticated debate around <a href="http://westendcommunity.org/about-weca/">best practice in planning and development</a>. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://brisbanedevelopment.com/west-village-proposal-unveiled/">West Village</a> development proposes seven 15-storey apartment towers and a large supermarket on an inner-city lot. This project highlights the ongoing struggle for social justice in inner Brisbane in the face of rapid development. </p>
<p>Stage 1 of West Village was deemed code-assessable, meaning no provision for public notification and no appeal rights. The full masterplan for the site is, however, impact-assessable.</p>
<p>Many residents saw the development proposal as flawed and creating many serious problems. Building on existing social ties and strengths, a group of residents and interested parties have begun to create an alternative vision (“Instead of West Village”) for the site. The aim is to pressure both the developer and government to engage with their concerns and aspirations. </p>
<p>Residents are using an open, collaborative, community-based planning process, similar to earlier grassroots engagements in the suburb. Community-led draft masterplans have been developed and discussed <a href="http://jonathansri.com/absoe/">at various events</a>. These plans are contrasted against community-generated models and images of the proposed development. Public meetings and workshops have enabled input from diverse quarters. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/130497/original/image-20160714-12372-vdib7f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/130497/original/image-20160714-12372-vdib7f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/130497/original/image-20160714-12372-vdib7f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/130497/original/image-20160714-12372-vdib7f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/130497/original/image-20160714-12372-vdib7f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/130497/original/image-20160714-12372-vdib7f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=487&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/130497/original/image-20160714-12372-vdib7f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=487&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/130497/original/image-20160714-12372-vdib7f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=487&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">An alternative plan (right) is presented alongside the developer’s model (left) at the community picnic.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The alternative vision is still being finalised, but the collaboration and spirit of hacktivism underpinning it transcend the importance of the alternative master plan. </p>
<p>This hacktivism asserts a <a href="https://www.jacobinmag.com/2015/10/mexico-city-df-right-to-the-city-harvey-gentrification-real-estate-corruption/">right to the city</a>. It demands that planning be better: more just, more sustainable, more inclusive. In doing so, communities are beginning to “hack” planning itself.</p>
<p>GECKO’s recent <a href="http://climatechangeforgood.com.au">Climate Change For Good Conference</a> is a second example. This local non-profit organisation has partnered with the Queensland government to pioneer a new model of local climate-change adaptation. </p>
<p>The process began with a weekend of presentations by a range of experts and practitioners. These were accompanied by community-based problem-solving workshops. The forum closed with an innovative proposal to “hack planning”.</p>
<p>The intent is to devise a living document that crowdsources innovative adaptation ideas from the community to meet challenges such as health, food and water security, emergent business opportunities and place-making. This offers an alternative to Gold Coast City Council’s climate change <a href="http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/documents/bf/climate_strategy.pdf">adaptation plan</a>, which has been shelved. </p>
<p>The community-led plan will enable engagement with diverse groups that are often marginalised in the planning process, such as Aboriginal groups, caravan park dwellers, migrants, youth and homeless citizens. </p>
<p>By giving a voice to real people living in everyday places, and by drawing on citizen knowledge and ingenuity, hacktivism promises action on issues beyond the remit of traditional planning. So, how could you “hack” your city?</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/62277/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jason Byrne is a member of the Gold Coast and Hinterland Environment Council (GECKO) and works with GECKO on community-led climate change action projects. He also receives funding from the Australian Research Council on climate change adaptation and urban green-space and health. Jason provides consultancy services to the Gold Coast City Council. He is affiliated with the Queensland Greens and cares deeply about issues of environmental justice, citizen wellbeing, and urban ecologies. Jason is a member of Griffith University's Environmental Futures Research Institute.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Natalie Osborne is affiliated with a number of grassroots activist groups in Brisbane working for social and environmental justice, including the group campaigning against the West Village development and a broader movement on the Right To The City - Brisbane. She is also affiliated with the Greens, and is a member of Griffith University's Cities Research Centre.
</span></em></p>In Australia, a small but growing cadre of residents is experimenting with hacktivism in planning. Giving a voice to real people living in everyday places can help ensure planning meets public needs.Jason Byrne, Professor of Human Geography and Planning, University of TasmaniaNatalie Osborne, Lecturer, School of Environment, Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/282712014-07-25T05:06:19Z2014-07-25T05:06:19ZOur cities need more green spaces for rest and play — here’s how<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/54745/original/x5swgbfn-1406175529.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Seoul's Cheonggyecheon Stream was once a freeway.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/kycheng/8174439617">Kwong Yee Cheng/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">CC BY-NC-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Your local park is likely playing a vital role in your city’s health, and probably your own too. Parks and other “green spaces” help <a href="https://theconversation.com/trees-are-a-citys-air-conditioners-so-why-are-we-pulling-them-out-21890">keep cities cool</a>, and as places of recreation, can help with health issues such as obesity. Even looking at greenery can <a href="https://theconversation.com/hug-a-tree-the-evidence-shows-it-really-will-make-you-feel-better-21924">make you feel better</a>.</p>
<p>But in increasingly crowded cities, it can be difficult to find room for parks. Fortunately, there are other green spaces, or potential green spaces that can provide the same benefits. </p>
<p>In recent research, we found that these spaces are more common than we thought. And innovative green spaces overseas show how we might use them. </p>
<h2>Cities are getting crowded</h2>
<p>In the next thirty years, almost three quarters of the global population will live in cities. Underpinning this glib statistic is an astounding wave of migration driven by changing livelihoods, global economic changes and environmental change, which is <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/content/333/6042/540.full">unprecedented</a> in human history. </p>
<p>This presents a number of challenges for urban planning — more housing, schools and hospitals, better infrastructure such as transportation, water, sanitation and electricity. </p>
<p>Parks in this competition for space are often an afterthought. This can lead to some big problems, especially in higher-density cities. Such problems include urban heat (from concrete, bitumen and glass), storm water run-off, and fewer parks to play and relax. Fewer parks can in turn lead to health impacts such as obesity, anxiety and depression.</p>
<p>Worse still, in some cities parks and other green-spaces are regarded as a luxury, not a necessity. In a climate of fiscal austerity, some city managers and elected officials are making decisions that will potentially harm the quality of life of urban residents, now and into the future. </p>
<p>Some local governments regard under-utilised parks as surplus assets, which might be sold to bolster strained coffers. </p>
<p>Other cities, like Melbourne, have <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/melbournes-green-spaces-are-pure-gold-20130916-2tv75.html">sacrificed</a> some park spaces for new road and tunnel projects. But the short-term financial gain from selling parks or converting them to other purposes could very well lead to long term pain.</p>
<h2>Making real urban jungles</h2>
<p>Around the world, city planners and design professionals have begun to respond to the problem of park shortages by finding innovative solutions to add more green-spaces to cities. These include green roofs, green walls and pocket-parks. </p>
<p>Some unconventional solutions are emerging too. Parking lots, former industrial sites (brown fields) and even abandoned infrastructure like old railway lines are being converted into new green spaces. </p>
<p>Some cities like Seoul in Korea for instance, have torn down freeways to make room for new green spaces for people, plants and animals, with big financial and social dividends. The Seoul Metropolitan Government has seen billion-dollar returns from its <a href="https://lafoundation.org/research/landscape-performance-series/case-studies/case-study/382/">Cheonggyecheon</a> stream restoration project, and has realised other benefits too such as cooler temperatures, increased use of public transport, adaptive re-use of buildings, <a href="http://www.visitseoul.net/en/see/cheonggyecheon/cheonggyecheon.jhtml">increased tourism</a>, and a return of plants and animals to the “concrete jungle”. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/54744/original/78rwc672-1406175219.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/54744/original/78rwc672-1406175219.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/54744/original/78rwc672-1406175219.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/54744/original/78rwc672-1406175219.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/54744/original/78rwc672-1406175219.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/54744/original/78rwc672-1406175219.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/54744/original/78rwc672-1406175219.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/54744/original/78rwc672-1406175219.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">One of San Francisco’s “parklets”</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/pwkrueger/8689794483">Paul Krueger/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The <a href="http://pavementtoparks.sfplanning.org">parklets</a> of San Francisco are reinvigorating urban spaces, improving street life and encouraging more people into active lifestyles. </p>
<p>And in Hangzhou, China, the removal of old factories and conversion of grey space into linear parks, as well as <a href="http://worldlandscapearchitect.com/hangzhou-new-cbd-waterfront-park-hangzhou-china-ki-studio/#.U89Zy1bldZg">park-making</a> on “wasteland”, has opened up spaces for recreation and relaxation to millions of residents.</p>
<h2>More parks aren’t always the solution</h2>
<p>But making new parks can be expensive, especially in the urban core. Park-making projects can also increase the value of surrounding properties. If these projects are undertaken in poorer neighbourhoods, they can harm marginalised and vulnerable residents, by forcing them out of their homes as rents and property values rise and wealthier residents move in (gentrification). </p>
<p>With our colleagues, <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169204614000310">we have noted</a> that planners must take steps to prevent this from occurring, such as rent control or park-making on a more “informal” scale, making neighbourhoods “<a href="http://nextcity.org/daily/entry/gentrification-green-neighborhoods-just-green-enough">just green enough</a>”.</p>
<p>If we can’t get city officials to buy land for more parks, then maybe we can convert grey spaces — roads, rooftops and storm-water drains — into functional, yet affordable, green-spaces that people can use for active and passive recreation. </p>
<p>In New York for example, the <a href="http://www.thehighline.org">High Line Trail</a> along a disused railway line has become a major attraction, and breathed life back to a blighted space. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/54743/original/5n4mjpqp-1406174952.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/54743/original/5n4mjpqp-1406174952.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/54743/original/5n4mjpqp-1406174952.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/54743/original/5n4mjpqp-1406174952.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/54743/original/5n4mjpqp-1406174952.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/54743/original/5n4mjpqp-1406174952.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/54743/original/5n4mjpqp-1406174952.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/54743/original/5n4mjpqp-1406174952.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">New York’s Highline: a park on an old railway.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidberkowitz/5923527436">David Berkowitz/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In Mexico, an oil pipeline easement has been converted into a beautiful and functional park — <a href="http://citiscope.org/story/2014/mexico-city%E2%80%99s-scar-becomes-its-most-prized-park-la-l%C3%ADnea-verde">La Línea Verde</a> — in socially vulnerable neighbourhoods. There would appear to be similar opportunities in other cities.</p>
<p>Under-utilised and abandoned spaces such as railway corridors, vacant lots, street verges or even power line easements could make excellent parks.</p>
<h2>How much green space?</h2>
<p>Until recently, it has been hard for city planners to know how many of these spaces exist, what they are designated for, and whether people can easily access them.</p>
<p>Recent research on <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0099784">“informal green-space”</a> that we have published in PLoS One seeks to answer this question. </p>
<p>We have designed a rapid assessment technique to identify how much “left-over” land exists in cities, which could be used for green-space. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/54831/original/gcv8pts4-1406239689.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/54831/original/gcv8pts4-1406239689.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/54831/original/gcv8pts4-1406239689.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=422&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/54831/original/gcv8pts4-1406239689.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=422&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/54831/original/gcv8pts4-1406239689.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=422&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/54831/original/gcv8pts4-1406239689.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=531&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/54831/original/gcv8pts4-1406239689.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=531&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/54831/original/gcv8pts4-1406239689.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=531&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Distribution of ‘informal green space’ across Brisbane.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Christoph Rupprecht</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Surprisingly, informal green-space made up around 5% of the urban core in Brisbane (Australia) and Sapporo (Japan), the two cities we surveyed. This means it contributes 14% to the city centres’ total green space — that’s almost 900 soccer fields in Brisbane’s core alone. </p>
<p>We also found that over 80% are at least partly accessible for people to use them. Have a look around on your next walk — maybe a verge or vacant lot near you is just the place for a community garden?</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/28271/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jason Byrne is a member of the Australian Conservation Foundation and the Better Parks Alliance. He does not receive funding from these organisations, but he is an active advocate for parks and green-space.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Christoph Rupprecht received funding from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and Griffith University.</span></em></p>Your local park is likely playing a vital role in your city’s health, and probably your own too. Parks and other “green spaces” help keep cities cool, and as places of recreation, can help with health…Jason Byrne, Professor of Human Geography and Planning, University of TasmaniaChristoph Rupprecht, Project Researcher, Research Institute for Humanity and NatureLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.