Michael Moynihan: Parklet plans show a little can go a long way in a city like Cork
The parklet on Douglas St. Picture: The Transport & Mobility Forum, Cork
I’ve noticed it, don’t worry.
Coming along Douglas St it’s hard to miss that little... what is it, exactly, outside the Cork Flower Studio? A little half-enclosed zone, with low walls and some plants, seating which will allow you to sit down and chill with a pal — at a distance, of course — but is there a precise name for this unit/zone?
Yes. It’s a parklet.
Ian Barron of Benchspace gave me the detail. “In its most basic form, it’s a small park that’s installed in a parking space. It gives people space to sit, rest, relax, to take time out as they’re going around the city.
“It takes up the space where a car, or two cars, would otherwise be. There can be seating, or planting, bike parking — the best way to describe it is that it’s a mini-park, as the name suggests.
“There’s a broader parklet movement internationally, but as far as I’m aware it originated in San Francisco in the early 2000s.”
Where else? Going back 20 years, Californians decided to flip parts of the urban environment, says Barron.
“Apparently people would come along, put money in a parking meter but then lay down some grass and deckchairs and occupy that area while they’d paid for the parking space, feeding the meter for as long as they were there.”
So far, so good.
Doesn’t matter where the idea originates, as far as I’m concerned; if it can be applied successfully in Cork, why not apply it, right?
Hang on a second, though. Benchspace is a snappy name, but what does it do and what has that got to do with parklets?
“We’re a social enterprise, a co-making space,” said Barron.
“We provide access to tools and space and community for young makers — creative individuals seeking to set up product-based businesses. Everything from fine furniture makers to jewellers, metalworkers — all of that.
“We provide access to professional manufacturing equipment, access to studio space, and access to everyone else working here. They can collaborate and learn from each other as they build creative businesses in Cork.
“We’re city-based and promote the idea that you can have a creative business and work in the city as well. We take a practical approach, basically.
“We only began in 2017 but we were involved in the first parklet project, the one in Douglas St, and we joined the other partners in there to bring our expertise to the mix.”
I’m all in as soon as the word ‘practical’ makes its first appearance. I have nothing against musing with like-minded people about the change I wish to see in the world — locate that conversation in a coffee shop with a cake-adjacent table and that’s my idea of heaven.
But the leap to reality — the ‘practical’ — can be a hard one to manage. Benchspace looks to be making that leap, though. “We like to try to make it possible for groups around the city, groups which don’t always have access that kind of capital and expertise, to bring their design-build aspirations to fruition in an economical fashion — while at the same time making sure there are economic opportunities for young creative people within the city.
“We’re based in the Marina Commercial Park, but we got a grant from Enterprise Ireland last February which will enable us to grow and we’re looking for a new space to move into.”
Of course, if you have an eye for the long game on Leeside you’ll nod sagely at this point.
It’s striking that the place where thousands of people — literally — worked in traditional, large-scale assembly is now home for people working on a much smaller scale, yet both groups were ‘makers’ in the widest sense.
There’s another body which deserves credit with this parklet idea, of course. Barron points out that Cork City Council showed its “foresight” in backing the project first day. “The city had a lot of foresight with this. They backed the first parklet and made that happen. They saw the success there and took the opportunity to put in for ten more parklets at various points around the city.
“Hats off to them for being proactive, and it’s important to say that this isn’t just the Benchspace story, there are plenty of others involved as well. We have a role but we’re not claiming all the credit, certainly — we’re helping to facilitate this but from our perspective it’s about the makers, using the talent in the city.
“Where it helps us is that building the parklets is an opportunity our makers mightn’t otherwise get. It helps them to build a reputation for themselves, that in turn helps them to build their businesses... that’s what Benchspace is about, promoting creative enterprises for those Cork-based individuals who are looking to turn a passion into a pay cheque.”
After all that, the most obvious question needs to be answered.
Where are the new parklets going to be?
“The first four are at Three Piggies deli on Union Quay, at the Quay Co-op on Sullivan’s Quay, Civic Trust House on Pope’s Quay, and at the Imperial Hotel on South Mall: they’ll start to be installed next week.”
The other locations are at the Butter Museum, Shandon, in partnership with the Shandon Area Renewal Association; Civic Trust House on Pope’s Quay; the Lavit Gallery at Wandesford Quay; on Main St, Ballincollig, in partnership with Ballincollig Tidy Towns; on Main St, Douglas, in partnership with Douglas Tidy Towns; Crestfield Shopping Centre, Glanmire, in partnership with the Glanmire Area Community Association; and the Muskerry Arms, The Square, Blarney.
It’s hard to think of a better example of something small making a difference than this. The city authorities get to improve people’s experience of the environment while creative makers get a chance to show off their wares in that environment, and it doesn’t have to stop there.
“We have the capacity to make more parklets, with the people we have working here,” says Barron.
“If other businesses or organisations around Cork would like to access one of these for their area, we’d be open to that, absolutely. This isn’t an idea that has to end with the next ten parklets.”
Even in these straitened times, there are surely businesses which would welcome the opportunity to give people a better experience of the city — not to mention encouraging them to dawdle near those businesses.
One of the great takeaways from looking into this was a sense of affirmation, the kind of reassurance which comes from realising that people are working away to make the city better. At a time when it can be difficult to see the silver lining on the cloud, it’s encouraging to learn that there are groups whose work shows belief — belief in themselves, belief in what they’re doing, and, above all, belief in the city and what it can be.
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