Eugene Parklet Competition: Details

Parklet design by Gensler (photo by Lydia Thompson/NPR) 

 

I have more information now regarding the Eugene Parklet Competition I first blogged about a few weeks ago. 

 

Entries in the competition are due Friday, June 16. On June 21, the organizers from AIA-Southwestern Oregon and the City of Eugene Parking Department expect to announce four winners. Their intention is to have the winning designs built and installed by July 29 of this year for downtown Eugene's Sunday Streets event that day. 

 

The City has identified four parking spaces as sites for the purposes of the design competition. Three of the parking spaces are on Broadway: one each in front of Townshend’s, Starbucks, and the Bijou theatre; and one parking space on Olive Street in front of the University of Oregon’s new innovation hub RAIN. 

 

The competition jury will select up to four submissions for construction by the winning teams in one of the assigned locations. Once built, the parklets will remain in place for 1-2 months before disassembly. The organizers’ expectation is participants will design their parklets such that they can readily be disassembled for relocation throughout downtown. 

 

The City of Eugene is providing up to $2,000 per winning entry for materials and related construction costs. The competition jury, which will have sole discretion to identify the winning submissions, will distribute the funds after completing its evaluation of the competition entries. The goal is to attract as many design entries as possible, and ensure the winning participants have some fun while making their parklets a reality. 

 

Everyone is welcome to submit an entry: architects, landscape architects, designers, artists, students, and more—basically, any and all of the most creative minds in our community. Participate in this exciting collaboration and help create a vibrant downtown Eugene!

 

The organizers are also looking for general contractors, sponsors, and volunteers to partner with them to help make the parklet competition a success. Partnering can be in the form of assisting in the building of the parklets, donations for materials, or contributions of funds and time. Each of the built parklets will include a Partner board, and AIA-SWO will include recognition for all Partners in all promotional materials and at all related events.

 

See the PARKLET COMPETITION HANDBOOK for competition guidelines, rules, timeline, and entry form.

Building Upon the Ephemeral

PIVOT Architecture's SIT (im.a.bench) parklet  located on Olive Street between Broadway and 10th Avenue

I finally found the time this weekend to check out the completed winners of the Eugene Parklet Competition. As I reported upon the announcement of the selected entrants, the competition succeeded in drawing attention to downtown Eugene’s ongoing resurgence and also to the outsized power of modest urban interventions designed to make parts of the city more lively or enjoyable. Step-by-step and piece-by-piece, the parklet competition and similar initiatives (such as the City of Eugene’s “lighter, quicker, and cheaper” projects this summer) have drawn welcome attention to temporary efforts that hint at the promise of more permanent and likewise transformative changes to our public space.

I’m sure each of the four parklets shone best through their debut as part of the July 30 Downtown Sunday Streets event, and the following week as featured destinations for the August 5 First Friday Art Walk. Alas, during my quick stroll-by I found all to be unoccupied, despite plenty of passersby on a busy Saturday afternoon. They appeared forlorn and all too quickly forsaken.

Perhaps it was simply a matter of poor timing on my part. By design, their appeal was preordained to be as fleeting and ephemeral as the beauty of the cherry blossom. The parklets are not permanent. Regardless, a little bit of TLC (periodic cleaning, etc.) might extend their attractiveness. The targeted date for their deconstruction is this October, so plenty of time remains to warrant their continued upkeep.

Vivid Summer parklet located on Broadway in front of the Bijou Theater; design by Lindsey Deaton and Chistopher Becker

Cameron McCarthy's pinYOUgene parklet, also on Broadway.

Framing Parklet, by Propel Studio, on Broadway in front of Townshend's Tea.

Despite my disappointment in not finding the parklets in use, there’s no doubt in my mind they fulfilled the intention of the competition’s organizers, who envisioned the parklets as part of a series of short-term, low-cost, and highly visible projects intended to catalyze more permanent and profound changes in our city’s core. The goals are to build public acceptance of a deliberate, phased approach to instigating change, and to enhance the perception of downtown Eugene as a pedestrian-friendly and an amenity-rich precinct. The challenge now will be for the City of Eugene to build upon and sustain the momentum generated by the parklets competition. Ideally, this momentum will be sustained both from the top down (through government leadership) and the bottom up (as citizens endorse the most desirable of these changes). Ultimately, downtown will thrive as more permanent human-scaled improvements appear incrementally with increasing frequency. 

Eugene Parklet Competition

A parklet on Valencia Street in San Francisco (photo by Mark Hogan - Freewheel ParkletUploaded by SaltyBoatr, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17841324)

The City of Eugene Parking Department and AIA-Southwestern Oregon are organizing a Parklet Competition in Eugene for the summer of 2017. The initiative is a partnership between the City, Downtown Merchants, and other local groups as part of a series of events that will take place around downtown Eugene this summer geared towards increasing pedestrian presence and community involvement. 

What is a parklet? A parklet is a sidewalk extension that provides additional space and amenities to be used by the public. Each parklet typically displaces one or more curbside parking spaces with a place for people to gather, sit, and enjoy the city around them. Parklets can be designed to be either permanent structures or temporary/seasonal arrangements. Their amenities range from tables, chairs, and benches to green spaces. Numerous cities support the introduction of parklets because they also benefit nearby businesses by helping attract customers.  

Originally, proponents of parklets viewed them as means to instigate change and provoke a critical examination of the values that generate the form of urban public space. The PARK(ing) Day project, initiated in 2005 in San Francisco, has proven to be an effective, inexpensive, and popular example of tactical urbanism at work.(1) San Francisco has since continued to champion the quick and cost-effective conversion of underutilized parking and pavement into new pedestrian-friendly amenities in more than fleeting installations. 

Goals for the Eugene Parklet Competition include reimagining the potential of our downtown streets, encouraging non-motorized transportation, enhancing pedestrian safety and activities, and fostering community interaction. 

The competition organizers invite community members, architects, landscape architects, designers, artists, and all creative minds (professionals and students) to participate in this exciting collaboration and help create a vibrant downtown Eugene. Stay tuned: I’ll post more information about the competition here on my blog once it becomes available.
 

(1)  Eugene’s own Cameron McCarthy Landscape Architecture & Planning has participated enthusiastically during past PARK(ing) Days, which occur every third Friday in September. I reported about their PARK(ing) Day project for 2009, which happened to also coincide with that year’s International Talk Like a Pirate Day.

 

Eugene Parklet Competition Winners

The four downtown Eugene parking spots to be transformed into "parklets" this summer.

AIA-Southwestern Oregon 2017 president Katie Hall, AIA and organizing committee chairperson Carolina Trabuco, Assoc. AIA announced the winners of the inaugural Eugene Parklet competition at the June AIA-SWO chapter meeting. Though the competition itself is only the first phase of the Parklet 2017 initiative, it’s clear from its auspicious results the project will be nothing less than a great success.

As I mentioned previously, the Parklet Competition is a byproduct of a partnership between the City of Eugene Parking Department (EPark) and AIA-Southwestern Oregon, with the support of downtown merchants, Toolbox Project, CSI Willamette Valley Chapter, and ASLA Oregon. The organizers goals for the project include reimagining the potential of our downtown streets, encouraging non-motorized transportation, enhancing pedestrian safety and activities, and fostering community interaction.

The competition is more than just a visioning exercise. The City of Eugene is providing up to $2,000 to each of the winning designs for materials and related construction costs to radically transform four downtown parking spaces. Three of the parking spaces are on Broadway: one each in front of Townshend’s, Starbucks, and the Bijou theatre; and one parking space on Olive Street in front of the University of Oregon’s new innovation hub RAIN. Once built, the parklets will remain in place for 1-2 months before disassembly. The current schedule anticipates installation occurring during the latter half of July, in time for the July 30 Downtown Sunday Streets event. The parklets will additionally be featured destinations for the August 5 First Friday Art Walk.

The members of the competition jury were Will Dowdy (City of Eugene), Jen Bell (Bell + Funk), David Dougherty (Dougherty Landscape Architects), Eric Gunderson, and Brian Cavenaugh (Architecture Building Culture). The jury evaluated a total of 13 submissions, ultimately selecting four outstanding schemes:

SIT (im.a.bench)

SIT (im.a.bench)

PIVOT Architecture (Kelley Howell, Kari Turner, Tom Moss, Clayton Arrowood, Shirin Majlesien, Craig Runyon, Angela Wilson)

Recommended site:  A

Design Narrative:

Just like the idea of a parklet occupying a parking spot, the IM.A.BENCH design is as whimsical as it is simple. Its vibrant colors and playful design will encourage people to pause for a moment, interact with one another, and enjoy a different experience downtown. Keeping patrons engaged and active downtown will enhance the livability and encourage people to visit more regularly. Safety is a paramount factor in the design and people of all abilities will be able to use the structure by either using the letters as a seat or pulling up alongside it. The words “Open to the Public” are displayed across the vertical wall to boldly invite everyone to utilize the public realm in which the installation occupies. The form of the structure allows for visitors to spend time enjoying a beverage from a local business, reading a paper, sharing conversation, or simply enjoying the opportunity to relax and enjoy downtown Eugene! It is seen as a natural extension of the public sidewalk and encourages a vibrant node of activity alongside local businesses.

The structure will consist of smooth plywood with a colorful veneer coating that encourages patrons both through its design and message: “Sit.” The vertical letters will be constructed of pre-painted sheet metal resting on a plywood base that is flush with the curb and treated with slip-resistant paint. The supporting understructure would consist of reclaimed wood pallets. The plywood would be locally sourced with no added formaldehyde. The design is digitally modeled to optimize the fabrication of the materials and reduce waste. Construction scraps will be recycled.

During construction and decommissioning of IM.A.BENCH, the surrounding areas will feel very little impact. The project will be constructed in modules off site and reassembled during off-peak times to minimize disruption to the important thoroughfare. Once the parklet is slated to be removed, it will be very quickly deconstructed. The project can be transported and reinstalled virtually anywhere. The construction is easy to assemble with minimal tools and utilizes straightforward details.

With slip-resistant lettering that continues onto the sidewalk as an option, the parklet will be attention grabbing and engaging. Outdoor seating for the businesses that occupy the adjacent areas will reap the most reward by having access to valuable outdoor space during the summer months. The parklet can also serve as a showcase during Downtown Eugene events such as First Friday or EUGfun!

Jury Comments:

• It’s rare to see bold graphics in Eugene. We tend to be more about earthy colors and organic textures. It was nice to see something bold and colorful that will really stand out on the street.
• A bold and singular place that will surprise and enliven downtown.
• Simple and bold.  Eye catching and whimsical.
• Simple and vibrant with bold imagery.  This parklet is sure to draw a crowd of sitters.

Vivid Summer

Vivid Summer
Lindsey Deaton and Christopher Becker
Recommended site: B

Design Narrative:
Eugene’s vibrant summer spaces support spontaneous sidewalk chats, people watching, and sunbathing. The VIVID SUMMER parklet is a community node day and night. Artistically, the parklet is a motif for the power generated when unique individuals form community, as distinct wood panels construct strong geometric shapes.

Bright canvas shading devices announce the presence of a new street feature and draw pedestrians to neighboring pop-up retail pods. The built-in seating supports a variety of activities as well as spaces for individuals, couples, and small groups. Wide ledges accommodate drinks and computers. A standing-height counter transitions pedestrians into the parklet.

As the sun sets, the VIVID SUMMER parklet begins to glow; daylight sensors trigger an internal network of embedded LEDs to bath the benches in soft tones. These lights cast a beautiful array of summer colors on the benches and increase the safety of the space by illuminating a potentially dark corner of the street. The lights are powered by a small, secure PV panel that can be attached directly to the parklet or a neighboring roof.

Jury Comments:

• This was the only entry that gave much consideration to night time. The people downtown during the day and the ones here at night are generally not the same people. So it allows the people here for the nightlife to enjoy the parklets.
• Vibrant and lively, The lighting will be a great place for evening selfies.
• The sharp geometry and soft lighting crates an urban ensemble that will complement the existing Broadway streetscape.

pinYOUgene

pinYOUgene
Cameron McCarthy (Larry Gilbert, Justin Lanphear, Zach Rix, Nick Mercado, Vivian Schoung, Ali McQueen)
Recommended site: C

Design Narrative:
The great irony of public spaces is that they serve as locations to gather, experience urban environments, and deepen our understanding of place. Yet, often we lose this notion of experience and use public space as a means of getting from one point to another. We miss the opportunity to fully understand our urban environments.

The goal of pinYOUgene is to create a parklet that strengthens the social fabric of downtown by providing the opportunity to creatively engage with our community, sit and relax, bolster safe and interactive street-level activity, explore downtown, and share our stories.

This parklet is designed for one of the three Broadway locations. Sidewalk users are drawn into the parklet by an interactive downtown map identifying local examples of history, art, and landscapes that visitors are encouraged to explore; built-in seating surrounded by semi-transparent slat screens, both built from locally salvaged trees; vegetated planters; and a 3-D optical manipulation on the street side.

The floor of the parklet is painted with lines and words that lead to the metal chalkboard-coated map of downtown Eugene at the center of the space. This map depicts Google Map-inspired magnetic pins that correspond to examples of local history, art, and meaningful landscapes within downtown. The map also invites visitors to plot their own course using the magnetic pins to mark pivotal or meaningful locations in their lives. In addition, the interior walls of the parklet are coated with chalkboard paint (chalk will continue to be provided throughout the display of the parklet), and visitors can write or draw their experiences discovering Eugene.

Jury Comments:

• This one tells a bigger story about downtown and encourages people to check out downtown landmarks.
• Participatory and thoughtful.  Invites us to think about downtown places. 
• Will bring an interactive experience to downtown that will provide entertainment for all ages, especially the all-to-frequently overlooked children.
• The diverse yet unified materials are used in a compelling way to create space while interpreting the urban context. 

Framing Parklet

Framing Parklet
Propel Studio (Sam Sudy and Lucas Gray)
Recommended site: D

Design Narrative:
Nestled in front of Townshends: Eugene’s Teahouse, this parklet would serve as an extension of the sidewalk, for passerby and tea drinkers to linger and converse. The concept for this parklet arose from the idea of frames: framing the city, framing nature, framing the pedestrian. Stacked together in a row, frames provide a series of filters, creating visual appeal as one looks down the row. Looking perpendicularly to the frames, small pockets of semi-private spaces become apparent, sandwiched between each frame. Made of everyday materials—rebar and wood—this parklet will be easy to construct. The four frames and the three platforms sandwiched between are independent units, allowing the entire parklet to be broken down and transported with ease.

From their base, the frames offer rigidity and a solid foundation of 2x2 purple-stained wood, both to provide seating and to enclose planter boxes. Plants such as lavender were selected, not only because they coordinate with the colors of the frames, but because of their durability within the local climate of Eugene, minimizing ongoing care and watering requirements.

Above the base, spray-painted rebar reveals a more delicate structure of plantings above, allowing for a visual connection between the sidewalk and the street while still providing a buffer for safety and ambience. At night, the glow in the dark spray paint highlights the grid of the rebar and continues its visual appeal through dusk and into the night.

Jury Comments:

• This one is uniquely shaped, and the frames allow for visual connection between the sidewalk and the street. It also allows space for someone to sit alone (not on a shared bench), which for people who work downtown and might be on a break alone is appealing.
• A spatial experience that allow claiming your own place in the city.
• The blend of wood metal and plant fits into the urban garden of Broadway.
• A pleasing composition of strength and elegance

*    *    *    *    *    *

Kudos to each of the winning teams. I’m looking forward to seeing your designs become reality! Congratulations too to Carolina Trabuco and the members of her Parklet Competition committee. You quickly organized and implemented the competition in impressive fashion.

During their brief appearance this summer, I predict the parklets will prove wildly popular, attracting enthusiastic use and the attention of local media. The project may prove to be among the most effective ever undertaken by AIA-SWO in its efforts to raise the profile of our design community and showcasing the value of skilled problem-solving applied in creative and imaginative ways.

Streateries & Food Cart Pods

Claim 52 has extra outdoor seating thanks to the City of Eugene's streatery program (photo from the City of Eugene's Streatery Program web page)

The recent, unfortunate upsurge in COVID-19 cases here in Lane County once again threatens the viability of the local food services industry. Many restaurants and bars fell in the wake of 2020’s initial lockdowns. Others survived but have struggled to adapt under shifting public health guidelines and mandates. 

To its credit, the City of Eugene enacted (and recently extended) a temporary “Streatery” permit program at the outset of the pandemic, which allows café seating in the public right-of-way. With a permit, restaurants can expand their serving areas onto sidewalks and on-street parking spaces, facilitating social distancing in open-air settings. City planners have likewise supported growth of the local food cart scene, thereby providing foodies with a wider selection of COVID-friendly dining options. Both initiatives belie a level of flexibility we don’t normally associate with rule-happy city regulators. 

Streateries in Eugene include one located on Broadway between Olive and Willamette, and another on Fifth Avenue between High and Pearl streets. Both involve the complete closure of those sections of roadway to vehicular traffic. The outdoor seating opportunities provided by the participating restaurants and bars have proven popular, being well-used when the weather cooperates. The extra room compensates for the mandated indoor seating reductions. Masks are currently required in the streateries, but may be removed while seated at your table, as you eat or drink. 

Looking ahead, it’s easy to imagine streateries becoming permanent fixtures in our cities. Like “parklets,” streateries reflect a growing appreciation for the social benefits of recasting our streets as pedestrian-first environments, which include the opportunity to see and be seen, play a role in the urban theater, and simply live la dolce vita. 

The explosive growth of food cart pods in Portland in recent decades has been a phenomenon, contributing in no small part to the Rose City’s reputation as a woke, hipster haven. Portland is home to many hundreds of food carts, mostly clustered into pods scattered about the city. Eugene has followed suit, with several small food cart pods springing up in recent years, bringing added vibrancy and color to our increasingly distinctive neighborhoods. Characterized by their diversity and artisanal sophistication, Eugene’s street food entrepreneurs add considerable flavor to the public realm, both literally and figuratively. 

Friendly Garden food cart pod (my photo)

Food cart pods in Eugene are located at the Beergarden, by Oakshire Brewing, and at 3rd and Van Buren in the Whiteaker neighborhood. You’ll find the Graffiti Alley Food Truck Pod on River Road, and the Friendly Garden is a popular attraction on Friendly Street near W. 28th Avenue. Downtown Eugene is home to the Kesey Square Food Truck Pod, another pod at 8th & Olive, and of course food carts have been a decades-long fixture at the Saturday Market. 

While some may disagree, I find considerable aesthetic appeal in the ad-hoc, favela chic of typical food cart pods. They may appear improvisational and shabby, but their vitality is undeniable. Each cluster is refreshingly unique; there’s nothing about them one can possibly associate with placeless and polished brick & mortar restaurant chains. Invariably, food cart pods are a treat for the senses—colorful, aromatic, and vibrant—a far sight better than the enervating blight of surface parking lots they often stake claim to. 

3rd & Van Buren food cart pod (my photo)

The long-term, post-COVID socio-environmental and urban design implications of streateries and food cart pods merit study. There is increasing evidence pandemic-resilient urban strategies will permanently reshape our cities. Among these strategies, maximizing the potential of the public realm to be multifunctional, flexible, and adaptive is key. COVID-19 has spurred increased programming and repurposing of streets as streateries and parking lots as food cart pods, with results that demonstrate resilience and the ability to improvise during an emergency. Time will tell whether the pandemic will also bequeath a legacy dedicated to prioritizing the urban realm for pedestrians rather than vehicles. 

Every dark cloud has a silver lining. The availability of streateries and the proliferation of food cart pods as dining options during these uncertain times are consequences I think we can all relish.

Stay ON the Grass

 
Stay ON the Grass prototype installation, August 2021

The 2020 outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic struck suddenly, disrupting the routine and normalcy of everyday life. Social isolation and trepidation, job losses, the closure of businesses and schools, and unremitting news of mounting deaths exacted a costly toll on the mental health of many. As is true with far too many indicators, those hardest hit by the pandemic were and continue to be the undeserved in our society. This demographic suffers from higher rates of COVID-19 infection and mortality, and lower rates of subjective well-being. Notably, researchers at the National Institutes of Health found those with the least access to nature—predominantly those living in lower-income, non-white neighborhoods—experience higher rates of infection. While the material deprivation and economic anxiety wrought by the pandemic plays a role in the mental well-being of low-income households, the stark inequity in the amount of available green space relative to that which affluent, predominantly white populations enjoy underscores the NIH findings.
 
It is against this factual backdrop that Ryan Al-Schamma, Assoc. AIA (along with Erika Beehler, Sang Pham, and Anna Petrick) developed a prototype architectural installation called Stay ON the Grass (SOTG). The non-profit project aims to create a recreational social distancing pod for those in dense urban areas with little access to usable green space. Ryan envisioned SOTG as a commentary upon the racially biased state of urban design today, one that disproportionately provides and maintains desirable green space for more affluent populations while affording less access to nature for the underserved. For Ryan, the SOTG project Ryan is also an exercise in guerilla urbanism, a means to democratize green space for all.  
 
In simple terms, Stay ON the Grass is a “recreational social distancing pod.” The concept and form of the pod is derived from the chalk bubbles that cities like New York and San Francisco outlined on some of their grassy parks to enforce social distancing while allowing people to enjoy fresh air and greenery during the height of the pandemic. While these bubbles became a symbol of resilience in the face of a life-threatening virus, they were only accessible to some—the few and the privileged. This fact compelled Ryan and his fellow team members to develop the Stay ON the Grass project, to complete a prototype in 2021 (as seen in the photo above), and now pursue further development of an optimized design as proofs of concept, suitable for street installation and testing.
 
Each SOTG pod is a dish of grass and wood that rocks and sways when used due to its concave form. That concave form matches the curvature of the human anatomy when reclined—in effect, a living, urban hammock. The kinetic nature of the installation relaxes users while creating visual interest for passersby.
 
Padding the inside of the dish with live grass creates a more comfortable surface for users to occupy while quite literally putting them in touch with nature. The physical connection to nature soothes users directly and passersby indirectly by injecting greenery into otherwise austere cityscapes. Health professionals know access to nature is an important antidote to anxiety, depression, stress, loneliness, poor sleep, mood disorders, drug use, schizophrenia, and other health issues.
 
Deployed in areas otherwise devoid of nature, the SOTG team envisions its pods providing green, universally accessible, COVID-free parklets. They imagine them retrofitting impoverished paved spaces to create softer, more desirable landscapes.
 
Though Ryan’s ambition is to see widespread deployment of SOTG pods wherever they are needed, a worthy goal of the SOTG project is to symbolically, if not altogether practically, address the inequity inherent between city environs devoid of nature and wealthier neighborhoods blessed with an abundance of parks.

Redesigned Stay ON the Grass prototype.

 
SOTG is looking for material and financial support for the construction of its new, optimized design, which features improved constructability, uses half the amount of material as the prototype design, drains better, and requires less maintenance. The immediate goal is to construct three SOTG pods for display here in Eugene this summer, as well as three additional pods to be installed separately in Portland. After this round of installations is complete, SOTG proposes to open source the design, so cities elsewhere can replicate the concept.
 
Below is SOTG’s materials list and estimated prices per unit:

Ryan and the rest of the SOTG team are presently seeking financial support from building and design-related businesses to make this summer’s installations a reality. If you’re interested in helping directly or have any leads for potential sponsors, reach out to Ryan by email at ryan.alschamma@gmail.com. SOTG will recognize all contributors wherever they install the pods, as well as in all written publications regarding the project.