1. Outside the Box:
Repurposing Parking for Placemaking,
Sprawl Repair, and Better Transit
MAPC’s sParking Ideas
April 8, 2014

2. WHAT?! In Lexington?
Creating Massachusetts’s 1st Parklet & Bike Corral

3. Massachusetts Avenue – looking west Lexington, MA

4. The State’s 1st Parklet & Bike Corral
1720 Mass Ave

7. Grand Opening: June 15, 2013
Assembling the decking: Nearly 300 SF of renewed public space

8. The Rationale
Placemaking & Economic Benefits

9. Placemaking
“Capitalizes on a community’s assets, inspiration, and potential-
ultimately creating good public spaces that promote people’s
health, happiness, and well being” source: www.pps.com
William Whyte Jane Jacobs
A multi-facetedapproach to the planning, design
and managementof public spaces

10. Average Monthly Customer Expenditures
by Mode of Travel
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Bike Walk Auto Transit
$61
$76
$66
$58
Bicyclists & Pedestrians spend less per trip BUT the
number of trips are greater = the overall expenditures are
greater than auto users.
Total expenditures at bars, convenience stores, and restaurants
Economic Benefits of Bikes & Peds

11. Economic
Benefits

12. Economic
Benefits

13. OUR 6-STEP APPROACH
To creating new bike and public space

14. 1. Link to Economic Development Goals
Promote the vitality of the Center
and small business

15. 2. Partner with Local Businesses

16. UNDERUTILIZED:
Placed in the front of lawn of
the Post Office
WELL- UTILIZED:
Placed next to a café, froyo, running store

17. 3. Collaborate & Build Support
Project
Center
Committee
Bike
Committee
Police
DPW
Local
Business
Elected
Officials
Tourism

18. 4. Pilot, Pilot, Pilot

19. Use
Park(ing) Day
As a Pilot

20. LexingtonBikeActivity:
60%increaseAfterPilotCorralin2012
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
BEFORE CORRAL AFTER CORRAL
Bicyclists Counted
5. Document Success
194
311

21. 6. Build on Success
Parklet with seating & bikes for June 2013

22. Key Questions to Ask
1. How does the project align with your community’s
economic development goals?
1. Who is your local business partner? Is it a
compatible use?
1. How will you collaborate and build support for the
project (and with who) ?