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March 11th, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda
Payton Chung’s flickr page/via
Deepistan National Parklet
When I last wrote about parklets in July of 2011, there were fourteen parklets in San Francisco. The city now claims 31 parklets and counting, with 39 in various stages of review. There has been a large demand for parklets in San Francisco, as evident by the amount of applications that the City Planning Department’s Pavement to Parks program has received during its three issuances for request for proposals. Parklets, small urban pocket parks, have transformed parking spaces into public places throughout San Francisco. They are designed to provide outdoor space for residents and visitors to sit, relax and enjoy the city around them. Parklets are often an extension of the sidewalk, and take up one to two parking spots, they can be permanent or temporary, depending on the location. The parklet movement has now spread to Oakland, Long Beach, Philadelphia and Vancouver.
How it Began
The idea for parklets sprouted in 2005 out of PARKing Day, the annual fall day when residents reclaim a parking space for the day, by rolling out Astroturf, chairs, tables and plants to create a temporary park.
In March 2010, the first city approved parklet was built in front of Café Mojo on Divisadero Street and it was when the city’s love affair with parklets began.
The Pluses of Parklets
A parklet’s diminutive size allows it to be built much more quickly, cheaply and with less red tape than a traditional park while still providing some public outdoor space. Often parklets act as visual and physical buffers between the street and the sidewalk and as places for people to congregate. Parklets provide businesses and non-profits a place to encourage streetlife and by offering seating, greenery, bike parking, etc. Parklet beautify and increase the walkability in San Francisco’s limited sidewalk space, by affording more space for people to pedestrians on congested sidewalks. The best part is that the parklets are often community driven, being created in places where people already have been congregating.
Research in Support of Parklets
San Francisco’s Great Streets Project conducted a before and after study of the Mojo Parklet and found that after the parklet was built several activities increased:
37% Increase in pedestrian traffic on weekday evenings
13% Increase in pedestrian traffic for all periods
30% Increase in people standing or sitting in the area
The Great Streets Project is about to conduct a similar study of 9 additional parklets at various places around San Francisco.
Concerns about loss of parking spots
Parklets reduce the already limited number of parking spots in the neighborhood. But even on streets where multiple parklets have been built, only a small amount of space is actually being transformed – only 2.5% of regular parking spots on Columbus Avenue are parklets, and 1.6% on Valencia Street.
Concerns about noise and loitering
The parklet rules try to establish a safe, peaceful environment for everyone, include neighbors. Most of seating is designed in a way to discourage sleeping and smoking and alcohol are not permitted. The park sponsor, or permit holder, is responsible for maintaining the parklet and must have liability insurance.
Public Use
To ensure that parklets remain public, nearby restaurants are not allowed to provide table service, prepare food, or use the parklet as storage space. There were some initial concerns that the parklets were perceived as extended seating space only for customers of the cafes or restaurants that adjoin the parklet. Some argue that the parklets are extension of public space, because they are part of few spaces in the city aside from larger public parks where people can linger and aren’t forced to buy something.”
Examples by Neighborhood
Eight of the city’s 31 parklets were funded through Pavement to Parks; the other 23 were funded by businesses owners, non-profits and a resident. Although the Mission and North Beach neighborhoods have the highest concentration of parklets, each parklet reflects the unique nature of its location.
Union Square
In 2011 the largest parklet was installed, The Powell Street Promenade, a two-block long installation, sponsored by Audi.
Mission
Mark Hogan’s Flickr page/via
Deepistan National Forest
Deep Jawa, who lives on Valencia Street, was the first resident to sponsor a parklet with a dinosaur themed garden. His parklet is fondly called Deepistan National Forest after his nickname, Deep and National forest to ensure that the parklet is thought of as a public green space. For a Mission resident like Deep, this is an opportunity for him to physically manifest his values and wasn’t very sacrificing because he doesn’t own a car. Barely half of Mission residents are using their required garages to store cars so the potential for more residential parklets exists.
The Fabric8 Parklet Gallery is a venue for public art installation, a “canvas” where art gallery meets the street, bringing art to the community and, vice versa, the community to the art. Rotating one-year exhibits of kid-friendly public art, from installation to murals to landscaped plants and greenery, will be featured.
Tenderloin
Two parklet permits have been approved for construction beginning in 2012. These parklets would provide public space for the neighborhood while Boeddeker Park is closed for renovation.
Also in the Tenderloin, Farm: Table, a popular restaurant in the Tenderloin, is asking customers to help fund a parklet in front of its storefront at 754 Post Street.
There is also a parklet in front of Paradise Massage on Jones Street, perhaps used more frequently by the Nile Café next door than by massage patrons, but who knows?
Creating Your Own Parklet
Any San Francisco resident may petition the city to install their own parklet.
Location, location, location: It can’t be on a corner, blocking a red zone or fire hydrant, and it can’t be on streets where the speed limit exceeds 25 miles per hour.
Need demonstrated (written) community support e.g. letters or petitions.
Design: The platform can extend only 6 feet beyond the curb, and it must be framed by “planters, railing or cabling.” Permanent seating is preferred to the exclusive use of movable chairs. Greenery is a plus. So are “high quality, durable and beautiful” materials. No tropical hardwoods, though!
Costs: If you do get approved, anticipate fees of $982.50 – $650 more if parking meters are removed – and a $221 annual fee. Plus liability insurance ($1 million). The cost of construction varies from parklet to parklet, but a $20,000 budget will probably be enough.
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