PARK(ing) Day 2018
It’s time to rethink the way streets are used and to re-imagine the possibilities of the urban landscape!
PARK(ing) Day is an annual event that encourages community members, students, and designers to transform parking spaces into temporary parklets. This event occurs annually in hundreds of cities in dozens of countries on every permanently-inhabited continent on earth. While PARK(ing) Day may be temporary, the image of possibility it offers has lasting effects and is helping to shift the way streets are perceived and utilized.
This year we really stepped up our parklet game! There were 19 parklets, that I know of, total- Moscow (3), Coeur d’Alene (1 block party), Boise (6), Pocatello (7), and Bozeman (1). That is a dramatic increase from last year which is exciting! These were not all ASLA associated parklets but since ASLA is all about promoting this event, they were all on the ASLA parklet map. There was a news piece on the Pocatello parklets in the Idaho State Journal and there will be an article about all the parklets in Idaho coming out in the near future in the Idaho Business Review. Next year when you are in the planning stage of PARK(ing) Day, make sure to get the media involved to help raise awareness!
Maggie Clark, ASLA, PLA
Parking Day Pocatello
Pocatello Parking Day
Business participants:
The Yellowstone
Station Square
The Orange and Black Store
Molinellis
Main Steam Coffee and Desserts
Elwen Cottage
Bannock Transportation Planning Organization
Montana State University - Bozeman
University of Idaho - Moscow
Boise Parking Day
Boise Businesses/locations who participated:
D.L. Evans Bank
8th Street corridor
Collister Shopping Center
Vista Village
Albertsons
Coeur d’Alene block party
The City of Coeur d’Alene organized the Sherman Block Party pilot project in conjunction with PARK(ing) Day. This function was very successful with over 1,500 people attending! The pilot project design maintained the current location of the sidewalks, removed the center turn lane (except at intersections), and added diagonal parking on one side of the street. Furthermore, this project results in five additional parking spaces on this block. The pilot project also includes planters, benches, temporary curb extensions, artistic crosswalks, bike parking, and some curbside seating in a “parklet”.
Better Block Event - Pocatello, ID
Pocatello hosted the Terry First Build a Better Block event on Saturday, August 25th.
The Pop-Up Park had vendors, food, hydration station, public art, outdoor games, seating, landscaping, and a selfie stop.
photo credits: Team Better Block
photo credit: Hannah Sanger
photo credits: Maggie Clark
The Pop-Up Park had vendors, food, hydration station, public art, outdoor games, seating, landscaping, and a selfie stop.
Temporary Public Space Improvements included a 9 block bike/ped path, street narrowing, back-in parking, bulbouts, outdoor dining parklet, landscaping, intersection painting, and ISU logo street art.
Pocatello hosted the Terry First Build a Better Block event on Saturday, August 25th. In preparation for the build out, there were several ways for the community to participate and influence the project. There was a website terryfirst.com where community members could go to learn about the project and sign up to be a volunteer. The website incorporated some great interactive tools including “Photo Voice Map” where people could share photos that show what they would like that specific area to look like. There was also an “Opportunity Points Map” where they could point out areas that had potential to be improved. In addition, the community members could also take a questionnaire to further voice their opinions pertaining to the project. In mid-September Community Builders and Team Better Block held the first public meeting, attended by 75 people, to kick off the project. The group was split off into smaller groups to focus on Streets and Public Spaces, Art and Beauty, and Pop-up/Programming. The results from this brainstorming session were used to come up with a concept plan for the build out.
During the event, the City of Pocatello along with project partners Team Better Block and Community Builders debuted a series of temporary improvements to the historic warehouse district and Idaho State University neighborhood. Some of the ideas tested included pop-up shops, parklets, a stage with seating, landscaping, and public art. The Terry First project aims to create a vision for the Terry Street/South First Avenue corridor that will spur economic development, support redevelopment, increase bicycle and pedestrian mobility, and improve the connection between Idaho State University and Old Town Pocatello. “Build a Better Block allows us to try out some of the ideas before investing the time and resources to make them a permanent feature of Terry Street or First Avenue,” said Matthew Lewis, Senior Planner with the City of Pocatello. “The public will have a chance to see how the features function and make additional suggestions to improve the neighborhood.”
The volunteer effort was phenomenal for this project! There were about 125 community members and city employees from numerous departments who volunteered their time over the four days leading up to the event to get everything ready. This project was funded through Community Builders who contracted with Team Better Block as the consultant. After a successful community event, the City of Pocatello is anxiously awaiting the final report from Team Better Block. The City is identifying low cost improvements that can be accomplished short term as they work toward the long term goal of increasing walkability. Some of these low cost improvements may include a permanent ISU logo and striping updates. The community response from this event has been very positive and the City is excited to move forward with these new ideas. If you would more information about this event or if you are interested in doing a similar event, please contact Maggie Clark- maggieclarkpla@gmail.com.
Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail Dedication
A noon dedication ceremony for the Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail took place Thursday, November 13—marking the official opening of the almost 1.5 mile shoreline trail to the public.
A noon dedication ceremony for the Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail took place Thursday, November 13—marking the official opening of the almost 1.5 mile shoreline trail to the public.
The ceremony took place about a 1/4 of a mile down the trail on the symbolic property line between the cities of Sandpoint and Ponderay. These two cities, with support from the Friends of the Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail, the Idaho Conservation League and others, collaborated to create the trail that now provides fantastic recreational opportunities, safe access to Lake Pend Oreille and an alternative non-motorized greenway.