In terms of parking in Paris, parking your car will be more and more difficult. Shortly after debuting parking spots for scooters, the City Hall launches a new project: replacing parking spots with “parklets”.
Alright, okay,… but what is a parklet? Well, this concept come from the United States, specially from San Francisco where in 2012 parking spaces have been turned into relaxing areas for pedestrian by fitting – for instance – mini terraces or micro art galleries.
As you can assume in Paris, the mayor is picturing a future with fewer cars. So, it’s necessary to redesign these areas which were so far devoted to cars! And it’s official: parklets will pop up here and there in Paris!
Beau “parklet” qui rend aux piétons une place de stationnement en surface par @SmartCityParis dans le cadre du budget participatif de @paris -avec même des bacs à fleurs. pic.twitter.com/O8gTsVbbPB
— Thibaut Thomas ?? (@thibautthomas) 10 août 2019
Tweet reads: “Beautiful ‘parklet’ giving the surface of a parking spot back to pedestrians thanks to @SmartCityParis as part of @paris participative budget – including the flower boxes.”
By the way, you can already see some! There are already 4 of them and each embodies the vibe of the neighborhood where it can be found. In Paris 2nd arrondissement, it’s a wooden terrace that has been created and welcoming workers so that they can clean their minds. In the Marais, it’s a plant-filled area while in the 15th arrondissement, you have all you need to fix your bicycle. And in Montmartre, you have a mini place of life especially housing concerts and all sorts of events honoring the village and merry spirit of this emblematic neighborhood.
For September, the Marais and the 15th arrondissement will welcome a second parklet and in October, another one will pop in the 18th arrondissement. And it’s only the beginning! A call for project is currently on and each one can give ideas until September 6, 2019. So, good riddance to parking lots and hello parklets?
