Partnering for Parklets

By Zaki Mustafa, P.E., Valerie Watson, and Steven B. Colman, PTP

shut

ters

tock

.com

/Cli

ck

36 S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 4 i t e j o u r n a l

| feature

A Program Built on PartnershipsBuilding upon the lessons learned from six pilot projects, LADOT has been working closely in an unprecedented collaboration with community members, elected officials, and other City staff to develop People St into a program that will expedite project development and implementation with a clear, consistent process. Projects initiated and driven by and for communities can be brought to life by working through People St. The People St website provides a one-stop shop for information, resources, and materials on three types of People St projects—plazas, parklets, and bicycle corrals—and the application process to bring these projects to a neighborhood.

The People St program facilitates the partnerships between the community and the City of Los Angeles. Community partners are required to be active players in order to build neighborhood support for a project, identify an appropriate site, conduct outreach, raise funds required for materials and furnishings, install project elements (parklets), and provide and fund long-term management, maintenance, and operations of the project.

ParkletsParklets, urban spaces serving as an extension of the sidewalk to provide seating and green space for pedestrians, have been very popular in the City of Los Angeles. Parklets typically occupy one

Like many cities, Los Angeles, CA, USA has experienced an increasing number of

requests for people-oriented, outdoor spaces that increase pedestrian and bicyclist

safety while bringing vitality to urban communities. Given its mild Mediterranean

climate year-round, Los Angeles is particularly suited for the creation of outdoor

pedestrian social spaces for sitting and socializing. These spaces largely have taken the form of

parklets, pedestrian plazas, and bicycle facilities. To help communities develop and implement

these spaces, the City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) launched the

program People St in collaboration with the City of Los Angeles Departments of Public Works

and City Planning, the Office of Mayor Eric Garcetti, and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan

Transportation Authority.

Sunset Triangle Plaza, a pedestrian zone on Griffith Park Boulevard in downtown Los Angeles, CA, USA, provides an example of a successful People St project.

LAD

OT

w w w . i t e . o r g S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 4 37

or two (occasionally more) parking spaces. They extend out from the sidewalk at the level of the sidewalk to the width of the adjacent on-street parking space. The goal of installing a parklet is to convert underused street space into a more vibrant, people-oriented place. Additional goals include:

Emphasizing the street as a place of social interaction and activity;

Supporting a quality streetscape experience and improved day-to-day life of the street;

Creating places for community gathering, events, and celebrations;

Increasing safety for pedestrians, cyclists, and transit riders; Encouraging increased levels of walking and cycling that

support local businesses; Catalyzing public- and private-sector investment in infrastruc-

ture to support walking and cycling; and Providing added space for bicycle parking, where sidewalk space

is inadequate.Parklets generally work best when the adjacent land uses include restaurants/cafes, shops, transit stops, or cultural institutions. And they work best in locations with existing pedestrian activity, and/or where sidewalks are not wide enough to accommodate current pedestrian volumes.

Resources for Community Partners In response to the rising demand for parklets, the LADOT has created two documents for the public to help with parklet instal-lation: a Parklet Application Manual and a Kit of Part for Parklets.1

The Parklet Application Manual defines the kinds of organizations or entities eligible to accept the responsibility to design, install, operate, and maintain the parklet. These community partners may include business improvement districts, ground-floor business owners, adjacent property owners, community-based organizations, or others on a case by case basis. The partners also need to have previous maintenance experience or a demonstrated capacity to manage the parklet. Repairs of parklet elements and upkeep of landscaping are required throughout the life of the parklet. Community partners are required to sign an agreement with the City of Los Angeles outlining responsibilities, including design/installation, capital costs, and general liability insurance. A written memorandum of understanding (MOU) is signed by both the partner and the City and can be renewed annually.

The Application Manual also covers site feasibility and location criteria, which are particularly important to transportation professionals. Candidate parklet sites must be a least one parking space away from the street corner and provide adequate clearance for vehicles to turn into and out from nearby driveways. The

The Huntington Drive parklet in downtown Los Angeles, CA, USA provides a space to connect with people in the community.

LAD

OT

38 S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 4 i t e j o u r n a l

curbside parking lane must be at least eight feet wide, measured from curb face to adjacent bicycle or vehicle travel lane (narrower lanes are considered on a case-by-case basis). The traffic-facing edge of the parklet must be set back a minimum of 2 -́0˝ from the nearest travel lane. Parklets are generally restricted to streets with an existing speed limit of 25 miles per hour (mph) or less, although streets with 30 or 35 mph speed limits can be considered based on additional LADOT review; in those special cases, a five-foot buffer, the minimum width of a standard bicycle lane, between the parklet edge and the travel lane may be required.

Parklets are generally not allowed in “no parking” zones (in California, where the curb is painted red), although other restricted zones (loading, short-term, etc.) may be used if there is support from adjacent businesses and/or land owners. Parklets must be at least 15 feet from a fire hydrant and provide access to public utilities, including underground structures, access panels, building standpipes, and similar features.

The LADOT also recognizes that in time, there may be problems with some parklets, so a complaint and notification procedure has been developed. San Francisco, CA, USA has removed at least one parklet due to problems.2 Parklets may be relocated temporarily (for example, for street or utility work), or permanently, in cases where there are serious violations of the MOU, an inability to resolve complaints, or lapses in liability insurance.

A companion document, Kit of Parts for Parklets, provides more specific design and cost information, including eleven parklet models built around three distinct typologies that address common urban design needs and challenges including the “sidewalk café,” “sidewalk extension,” and “landscape lounge.” Sample graphics, design components, signage, and costs are also offered in detail. In essence, the Kit of Parts for Parklets offers an “open source” handbook that demystifies the design process so that no prospective community partner must spend valuable time and effort to reinvent the wheel on parklet design. In Los Angeles, typical capital costs for

parklets have ranged from $35,000 for the simplest models seating a few people, to more than $70,000 for more elaborate models that can seat a dozen people and include more extensive landscaping. These parklet design elements are pre-approved via an interdepart-mental collaboration of City staff and required for use under People St to expedite project installation and avoid lengthy design reviews with the various City departments.

Community and Elected Leadership SupportAlthough they are relatively new, parklets have received widespread support from both elected officials and the general public. As our population ages and the need to facilitate safe and engaging walking journeys becomes more and more urgent, parklets are likely to become even more popular. Communities are hungry for quick, cost-efficient transformations to demonstrate the benefits of investing in walking and bicycling.

Councilmember José Huizar noted, “Parklets are not just creative public structures, they are physical expressions of a growing desire of Los Angeles’s diverse neighborhoods to interact more. They support community building and encourage people to sit back, relax, and spend some time with their neighbors. If people feel comfortable and safe in an area they are more likely to stay longer and visit local businesses more frequently. We’ve found, in our neighborhoods, the parklets do exactly that.” Through the parklets, plazas, and pedestrian facilities, People St is providing expanded public spaces that increase safety for people who walk, bike, and take transit. The installations also encourage increased levels of walking and bicycling, while supporting economic vitality.

Mayor Garcetti spoke of his support for the program, stating, “People St represents one of the many tools in our Great Streets toolbox as we work to change the way Angelenos interact with the built environment, while using existing government resources to make City Hall work better for our residents and businesses. Fundamental to People St is its bottom-up, community-based approach. I look forward to the many new plazas, parklets, and bike corrals that will be created by People St.”

This Spring Street parklet provides an extension of space for the whole community to enjoy.

The Spring Streets parklets were installed as part of a pilot program in February 2013. Lessons learned from installation of these pilot parklets informed the development of a city-wide parklets program in Los Angeles, CA, USA.

LAD

OT

LAD

OT

w w w . i t e . o r g S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 4 39

Partnerships for Plazas and Bicycle FacilitiesUnder People St, LADOT also off ers communities a process for partnering with the City to bring pedestrian plazas to their neighborhoods. Similar to parklets, plazas repurpose redundant or underused road space for people-oriented places with cost-effi cient materials like planters, surface treatments, tables, chairs, and umbrellas. A People St Plaza creates accessible public open space by closing a portion of the street to vehicular traffi c. Paint or other treatments are applied to the street surface, while large planters and other elements defi ne the plaza perimeter. Th e community partner maintains and operates the plaza, providing movable tables and chairs, public programs, and ongoing neighborhood outreach. Th e People St website provides manuals and kits related to plaza installation. Also through People St, LADOT’s Bicycle Program off ers a menu of design elements that are based in partnerships with community stewards, including bicycle corrals and bicycle repair stations.

For these and other innovative design treatments off ered, visit the People St website, peoplest.lacity.org, where the Plaza and Parklet materials are available for download at no charge. Th e site also includes a host of information on project evaluation. itej

References 1. Parklet Application Manual and Kit of Parts for Parklets. People St, Los

Angeles, CA, USA: peoplest.lacity.org.

2. Phaneuf, Whitney. “San Francisco Orders First Parklet Removal.” June

17, 2013. Accessed July 25, 2014: http://sfi st.com/2013/06/17/san_

francisco_orders_fi rst_parket_r.php.

Zaki Mustafa, P.E. is the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Immediate Past International President. He has been working for the City of Los Angeles, California, USA, Department of Transportation (LADOT) for the past 29 years. As the principal transportation engineer for traffi c

operations, he supervises all of the city-wide district offi ces and is responsible for the traditional traffi c engineering investigations and authorization for all of the traffi c control devices for the city. As the executive offi cer of the Project Delivery Group from 2012–2013, he was responsible for the organization’s delivery of streetscape improvements projects, pedestrian and school safety improvement projects, the signal synchronization program, project management of all “Measure R” transit capital projects, traffi c impact studies, the implementation of the bike plan, and preparation of engineering plans for all of the traffi c control devices. His team also designed and installed the very fi rst Plaza (Sunset Triangle Plaza) and four parklets in the City of Los Angeles. He is an ITE Fellow.

Valerie Watson works for the City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) as an urban designer and assistant pedestrian coordinator. Valerie, along with her colleagues in the LADOT Active Transportation Division, works to promote implemen-tation of pedestrian-focused design, develop active

transportation plans and policies, establish eff ective partnerships within the City and with advocacy and community organizations, and secure funding opportunities to enhance safety for people who walk, bike, and take transit. Prior to joining LADOT, Valerie worked as an urban designer with Los Angeles-based Meléndrez Landscape Architecture, Planning & Urban Design. Valerie holds an undergradu-ate degree in Psychology. Her interest in the psychological experience of the built environment led her to earn a master’s degree in urban and regional planning at the University of California, Irvine with an emphasis in urban design and behavior. She is a member of ITE.

Steven B. Colman, PTP is a semi-retired professional transportation planner. He began his career in 1978, and for 21 years was a principal with Dowling Associates in Oakland, CA, USA. His professional work has included nearly every mode of urban travel. For 14 years, he was a part-time lecturer at San Jose

State University (SJSU) teaching transportation planning to graduate and undergraduate students. He currently provides training in multimodal level of service analysis for the University of California (UC) Berkeley Technology Transfer Program and is a research associate with the Mineta Transportation Institute at SJSU. He holds a master’s degree in transportation engineering science from UC Berkeley and a bachelor’s degree in economics. He is an ITE Fellow.

Th e Abbott Kinney bicycle corral provides a place for people in Los Angeles to safely and securely park their bikes.

LAD

OT

40 S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 4 i t e j o u r n a l