BSLA / HONOR AWARD
Design - Success with Limited Resources
MICHELLE CROWLEY LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
Come Back to Main Street : A Modular Parklet Peabody , Massachusetts
Main Street in Peabody has suffered for decades from the success of the malls on the edge of town , wrestling with the problem of how to get businesses and people to stay downtown . This popup parklet was commissioned for use in public parking spaces along Main Street . The goals were to attract activity with a novel social opportunity for residents , to test the assumptions about street parking for the local business community , and ultimately to affect positive change along the street .
Limited funds necessitated strategic design / build , using donated materials , planning for multiple opportunities for re-use , and leveraging volunteer labor . Pallets became the building blocks , used as the structure for walls and shelves , the backs to benches , and for a bike rack .
Options were developed for one , two , and three parking spaces and for different purposes including gathering , vending , and performing . Key is a modular concept that can be reconfigured , moved , and set up with ease .
The North Shore Community Development Coalition was a strategic partner and their YouthBuild ( AmeriCorps affiliated program for atrisk youth ) served as the contractors .
For four days in September 2015 , the first installation took over three parallel parking spaces in front of the Peabody Institute Library . The parklet was the home to a local coffee vendor during the day and a brewery at night . Creating quite a buzz downtown , over 80 people gathered on Saturday night . Businesses took notice and inquiries for having the parklet at other locations poured in .
124 BSLA