A Photo Tour of Denver Park(ing) Day Parklet Installations

Architects Jonathon Smith and Laura Rodriguez came from New York City to compete in the Park(ing) Day competition.
Architects Jonathon Smith and Laura Rodriguez came from New York City to compete in the Park(ing) Day competition.

Livable streets advocates, designers and city employees temporarily transformed curbside parking spaces into mini-parks on Friday. The annual Park(ing) day event took place at eight locations in Downtown Denver.

Johnathon Smith and Laura Rodriguez came from New York City to build a prototype “ride up” coffee bar where people on bicycles and scooters can get a cup of coffee without dismounting their vehicles.

The coffee bar was one of six prototype structures that won a “parklet” design competition. The scooter company Spin and the Better Block Foundation held the contest to generate ideas that blend “the traditional parklet, bike and scooter parking and bus shelter with placemaking,” according to a blog post.

The event serves as an opportunity for people to “reclaim” publicly-owned on-street parking spaces, according to the Denver Streets Partnership.

Streetsblog visited three of the parklets, see photos below.

Park(ing) Day booths on 18th and Wazee Streets. Photo: Andy Bosselman
Park(ing) Day booths on 18th and Wazee Streets. Photo: Andy Bosselman
Smith and Rodriguez designed a bike-up coffee kiosk. Photo: Andy Bosselman
Smith and Rodriguez designed a bike-up coffee kiosk. Photo: Andy Bosselman
Architect Laura Rodriguez sketched a drawing of the team's kiosk.
Architect Laura Rodriguez sketched a drawing of the team’s kiosk.
Cristal Cordova, Christian Steward, Chasity Gentry and Lucie (dog) of the Community Active Living Coalition hosted a Park(ing) spot on Wazee at 18th St. Photo: Andy Bosselman
Cristal Cordova, Christian Steward, Chasity Gentry and Lucie (dog) of the Community Active Living Coalition hosted a Park(ing) spot on Wazee at 18th St. Photo: Andy Bosselman
Joe Brown, who works in the Parks and Recreation Department's greenhouse, gestures with thumbs up on Court Pl. at 15th St. Photo: Andy Bosselman
Joe Brown, who works in the Parks and Recreation Department’s greenhouse, gestures with thumbs up on Court Pl. at 15th St. Photo: Andy Bosselman
City employees used a Park(ing) space for meetings, including these Right of Way enforcement officers. Photo: Andy Bosselman
City employees used a Park(ing) space for meetings, including these Right of Way enforcement officers. Photo: Andy Bosselman
Maggie Thompson, a legislative aide to Denver City Councilperson Jolon Clark, meet with other aides at a Park(ing) space on outside of the Wellington Webb Municipal Building. Photo: Andy Bosselman
Maggie Thompson, a legislative aide to Denver City Councilperson Jolon Clark, meet with other aides at a Park(ing) space on outside of the Wellington Webb Municipal Building. Photo: Andy Bosselman
A Denver Public Library employee shows a mobile library bike trailer at the Park(ing) spaced on Curtis and 15th Streets. Photo: Andy Bosselman
John Riecke of the Denver Bicycle Lobby. Photo: Andy Bosselman
John Riecke of the Denver Bicycle Lobby. Photo: Andy Bosselman
Mia Bemelen of the Denver Regional Council of Governments stands over a map where people placed plastic bicycles to show where there trips to work start. Photo: Andy Bosselman
Mia Bemelen of the Denver Regional Council of Governments stands over a map where people placed plastic bicycles to show where there trips to work start. Photo: Andy Bosselman
A chalkboard invited people to suggest alternatives to parking spaces. A sticky note showed a recommendation for more bike parking. Photo: Andy Bosselman
A chalkboard invited people to suggest alternatives to parking spaces. A sticky note showed a recommendation for more bike parking. Photo: Andy Bosselman

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