How Good Are Parklets?

Parklets are innovative, dynamic public spaces that are installed onto on-street car-parking spots. These very small spaces have had a very large and lasting impact on city streets. How Good Are Parklets? is the first book to critically examine the parkletâs purposes, formats, and impacts. It traces the parkletâs history, from its invention in 2005 as an experiment that tactically reclaimed street space for broader public use, to its surge in popularity worldwide after the COVID-19 pandemic for outdoor dining, community gathering, and play. Drawing together archival research, expert interviews, typological analysis, mapping, field observation and design research, the book examines parkletsâ design, production, and implementation across varying urban contexts. By examining a wide range of contemporary practices, the book identifies parkletsâ potentials to reshape streets, meet diverse social needs and foster community engagement. The book situates parklets within the wider push towards deploying temporary and tactical strategies in the planning and management of cities. Its deep enquiry into one question about one type of spatial intervention contributes new insights into the complex interplays of actors, interests, processes, and materials that are currently transforming the urban landscape - one parking space at a time.