Our work on parklets

Through our parklets project, we’re supporting urban communities across the UK to reimagine their streets as spaces free from car dominance.

Jump to: [What are parklets?] [How do they speed up action on climate change?] [what are Possible doing on parklets?] [Three ways to get involved].

What are parklets?

Put simply, parklets are former parking spaces that have been transformed into areas for people to enjoy.

There’s no such thing as a typical parklet; they can be unique to your neighbourhood. With residents co-designing and maintaining them, parklets can increase people’s sense of belonging whilst meeting local needs.

Whether the space is used for rest, play, to store bicycles, or grow fruit and veg, parklets are an opportunity for communities to take ownership of their streets.

This parklet repurposes roadspace, to create an area for local young people to meet and play chess.

This parklet has a seed library, a book library, and hosts activities for local children.

This parklet provides greenspace where local people can meet, rest, and socialise

This old parking space is now used to grow plants.

How do parklets speed up action on climate change?

Transport is the biggest contributor to the UK’s carbon emissions (27%) and a huge part of those emissions comes from private vehicles, meaning reducing car usage will play a big part in reaching the UK’s climate targets.

The built environment shapes our day to day travel choices more than any other factor; the presence or absence of free parking, benches, cycle storage or nearby bus stops narrows or expands our options for movement.

Parklet animation shows parked SUV replaced with a seating and greenery.

Parklets are a simple way that communities can lead the way to cleaner greener cities. By reducing the number of cars on the road, parklets help reduce road dangers and air pollution, so they can make it easier for people to choose to walk and cycle their journeys. What’s more, the fact that parklets are direct replacements of parking spaces, means that they can spark conversations about car dominance and inspire hope, support, and action for climate-friendly futures.

What is Possible doing on parklets?

We get people excited about parklets. Lots of people have never heard of parklets, and not considered the possibilities of using roadspace for anything other than vehicles. By celebrating existing parklets and working with communities to create ‘pop-up’ parklets, we get people thinking about what a climate-friendly future for their local area could look like, and inspire them to help bring it about.
We campaign to make it easier for communities to create parklets. Most local authorities don’t have processes to let residents use road space for anything other than parking a car. This means that communities who want parklets, are often not given the permission to build them. We’re calling for councils to introduce parklet permit processes so that it’s easier for communities to give street space back to people and nature.
We work in partnership with communities to design and build their own parklets. We are supporting two community groups to make their own permanent parklets. With the initial designs drafted, and local building teams ready to go, the only thing left is to raise the funds to make these community parklets a reality. Click here to find out more.