1,2,3. Parklets
Public Space
Project Partners: New York City Department of Transportation Open Restaurants Program
2023
New York City, NY
We designed a flexible, modular, low-cost urban assemblage to support the City’s long-term commitment to sidewalk dining through thoughtful and strategic design interventions.
Our proposal, submitted to the NYC DOT Open Restaurants Program, looked to expand the flexibility of uses that highlight the adaptability and resilience of small businesses throughout the city.
Inspired by the DOT’s intention to change the laws that govern sidewalk dining and streamline the application process, our strategy was to formulate a system as approachable as the goals of the NYC Open Restaurants Program. We proposed a system that had a variety of parts and applications — without specific addresses, businesses, or site locations identified.
These components also served as place holders that represented and anchored local goals like ‘Shade & Lighting,’ ‘Bar-Seating,’ ‘Screens & Landscaping,’ ‘Patterned Sidewalks,’ etc.
Our hope is that these designs inspire larger and deeper conversations between residents and business owners.