MEDIA RELEASE

SAN FRANCISCO – Merchants, community groups and property owners hoping to get a parklet in their neighborhood may now apply as the City officially opens a new call for parklets around the city.

“We are thrilled to expand the ever-popular parklet program so that more people can enjoy the use of these public spaces in their neighborhoods,” said San Francisco Planning Director John Rahaim. “We are committed to providing more public spaces that promote healthier living and increase the vitality of our neighborhoods.”

So far, 38 parklets have been built around the City. Since the last call for parklet proposals, the City has made a number of improvements to the program to simplify the policies and procedures that govern parklets. In addition, the city has developed the San Francisco Parklet Manual, a comprehensive overview of the goals, policies, procedures and guidelines for creating a parklet in San Francisco.

“We have seen how parklets enhance neighborhoods, and now, as the program expands, this manual should make it easier for parklet applicants to navigate the permitting system and gain a better understanding of the program’s benefits and expectations,” said Mohammed Nuru, director of the San Francisco Department of Public Works.

“What started as an ad hoc intervention has evolved into a city program that reinvents the way we think about our city streets,” said Ed Reiskin, SFMTA Director of Transportation. “The creation of this manual demonstrates the city’s willingness and ability to encourage innovative use of public space in ways that are responsive to the needs and desires of our unique neighborhoods.”

To help applicants, the City is hosting an open house on March 5^th at the San Francisco Planning Department office on 1650 Mission Street from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Prospective applicants will learn more about what’s involved with sponsoring a parklet with help from staff from the Planning Department, the Department of Public Works and the Municipal Transportation Agency.

Applications may be submitted via the program’s revamped website, www.parklets.org by April 17, 2013.

About Parklets and the Pavement to Parks Program

San Francisco’s Pavement to Parks Program helps transform underused spaces in the street into publicly accessible open spaces available to all. Parklets are one component of the Pavement to Parks Program, which provides merchants, community organizations, business owners, and residents a way to enhance the City’s public realm.

Parklets enhance neighborhoods by adding beauty and whimsy to the city’s streets, reflecting the diversity and creativity of the people and organizations that sponsor and design them. Parklets provide amenities like seating, planting, bike parking, and art. While parklets are funded and maintained by neighboring businesses, residents, and community organizations, they are publicly accessible and open to all.

The world’s first formal public parklets were initially conceived and installed in 2010 as part of San Francisco’s Pavement to Parks Program. As of January 2013, thirty-eight parklets have been installed throughout San Francisco, and the program is being emulated in cities around the world.

For information about plazas and parklets, visit http://sfpavementtoparks.sfplanning.org.

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Media Contact: Joanna Linsangan

415.575.9119 | joanna.linsangan@sfgov.org