Parklets to create construction jobs in Boston

Posted on June 25, 2014

The creation of parklets in several Boston neighborhoods will possibly result in the creation of construction jobs in Boston, as these projects are implemented.

The Boston Transportation Department (BTD) is installing four parklets in Boston this summer in Roslindale, Jamaica Plain and Allston/Brighton.

Parklets are public spaces. In cities across the country, they now play an important role in neighborhood placemaking, providing centrally located places in busy urban locations for people to sit and socialize in an attractive, well maintained outdoor living space. They usually are located where narrow sidewalks prevent the establishment of sidewalk cafes.

BTD is also supporting and assisting with the implementation of an additional parklet in Audubon Circle that is being designed, built, and maintained through the efforts of The Parkolation Project, an educational program involving students from the Boston Green Academy.

The locations include:

27 Corinth Street, Roslindale Village
174 Harvard Avenue, Allston Village
736 Commonwealth Avenue, Allston
Hyde Square/Centre Street, Jamaica Plain

Space for each parklet is created by extending a platform and/or seating area into the parking lane of the street in close proximity to the parklet partner’s business. Parklets utilize an area the size of one to two curbside parking spaces.

Kyle Zick Landscape Architects created the Roslindale and Jamaica Plain parklets using cedar planks and metal accent materials. The Allston Village and Brighton parklets, created by Interboro Partners, are being constructed using seven foot long lego type blocks made of durable plastic molds