3 Ways That Turning Parking Spots Into Parklets Helps Businesses

[thelakelander]

How you feel about parklets—street-parking spaces converted into temporary gathering spots—depends in large part on how you get around the city. If you walk or take a bike, and generally prefer a more human scale to the urban environment, you probably love these little plazas and sitting places. If you drive and spend much of your life in the endless Costanzian battle that is finding a parking spot, you probably don't.

Those positions aren't likely to budge anytime soon. So the real tiebreaking question, at least in terms of public opinion, is how businesses themselves feel about repurposing their storefront parking spots for pedestrians. If Chicago retailers are any indication, get ready for the parklets.

Chicago started allowing businesses to create parklets called People Spots a few years ago. Nine emerged across the city: two in Andersonville, four in Lake View, one in the downtown Loop, and two in Bronzeville. This past summer, the local Metropolitan Planning Council evaluated the business impact of these spots by recording a full day's activity at each and interviewing parklet users and retailer owners alike.

MPC concluded that People Spots "can be a powerful economic tool for neighborhood businesses." Here are three reasons why.

Full article: http://www.citylab.com/design/2014/10/3-ways-turning-parking-spots-into-parklets-help-businesses/381390/