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Parklets Return To Boston For Summer

The Roslindale at 27 Corinth Street. (Chris Lang/City of Boston)
The Roslindale at 27 Corinth Street. (Chris Lang/City of Boston)

Boston is installing four parklets this summer despite what some saw as an unsuccessful pilot last fall.

The parklets — which turn on-street parking spots into miniature parks — will be located at 27 Corinth St. in Roslindale, the intersection of Hyde Square and Centre Street in Jamaica Plain, 174 Harvard Ave. in Allston Village and 736 Commonwealth Ave. in Brighton.

"Parklets are a simple and creative way to activate neighborhood centers, encourage community interactions, and create more seasonal outdoor space," Boston Mayor Martin Walsh said in a statement. “Everyone is welcome in Boston’s parklets, whether it is to socialize with neighbors or to relax in the summer sun.”

Residents in the Roslindale parklet (Boston Transportation Department)
Residents in the Roslindale parklet (Boston Transportation Department)

The parklets cover an area the size of one to two cars and are outfitted with tables and chairs. Some are more traditional and made out of wood and metal, while the ones set for Allston Village and Brighton will be made from 7-foot-long Lego blocks. The parks will remain in place until the cold weather returns.

Last fall, Boston experimented with two parklets in Mission Hill and Jamaica Plain, which were reportedly underused.

“This is true for parklets, it’s true for bike lanes, it’s true for bus lanes — it’s true for any innovation in the transportation world,” Vineet Gupta, the Boston Transportation Department’s planning director, told The Boston Globe. “Initially, you don’t see the kind of use that one would hope, but things pick up.”

The city will also help install a fifth parklet in Audubon Circle that was designed in conjunction with The Parkolation Project, an education program with students from the Boston Green Academy. That parklet will come with solar tiles that will power cellphone chargers and lighting on the structure.

The city says it held several public meetings to garner support for the projects and to identify local businesses to act as partners to perform day-to-day maintenance of the parklets.

Headshot of Amy Gorel

Amy Gorel Senior Editor
Amy Gorel is a senior editor of digital news at WBUR.

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