A social media campaign to support our Parklet and its meaning

In May 2021, City Space Architecture applied to the Municipality of Bologna in order to extend the duration of the parklet for additional two months, ending on July 31. Local residents and city visitors asked to keep it in place during the summer season and encouraged us to continue our activities.

BACKGROUND STORY

In May 2020 City Space Architecture started to discuss with the Municipality of Bologna at the Porto-Saragozza neighbourhood about the intention to create a parklet, intended also as a need to expand the outdoor space for social interaction, during the outbreak of the pandemic. City Space Architecture also asked to sign an agreement to co-create the parklet and get institutional suppport on this initiative. Bologna is the first Italian city that approved in 2014 a 'Regulation on collaboration between citizens and the city for the care and regeneration of urban commons'. Read more about the Regulation here.
According to the administrative procedure, our request was published on the website of the Municipality, for public evidence, here.

Unfortunately, the Municipality of Bologna rejected our proposal to co-create the parklet. However, the Municipality granted permission but asked to pay a fee for the occupation of the public land, specifically for the area hosting three parking spots where the design proposal of parklet was implemented.

WHAT WE ARE DOING NOW

After 10 months of activities, care and dedication, throughout the winter, the pandemic and the severe restrictions imposed by the Italian Government, on the occasion of this last extension granted in May by the Municipality of Bologna, City Space Architecture decided to launch a social media campign to spread awareness regarding the importance of public space, especially in the suburban contexts, and the need to invest in small, even temporary, improvements in the design of the public realm through creative placemaking.

The street where the parklet has been implemented, via Curiel 13/d in Bologna, is packed with cars, with poor quality of sidewalks and pedestrian accessibility.

On May 31 we launched on the Facebook group of the parklet the social media campaign, asking for:

- feedback, by filling out a form and write short comments

- donation, in order to support City Space Architecture and help covering the costs we paid to the Municipality of Bologna.

The Facebook group of the parklet is currently sharing contents on placemaking, tactical urbanism, environmental issues, public space concepts, with projects, policies and initiatives developed in Europe and beyond, thus providing useful reading materials. It has currently 200+ active members from across the world. It will stay udpated till December 31, 2021.

On July 29, 2021 City Space Architecture will host a farewell party to celebrate our parklet, engaging local residents, artists, activists and public space lovers, from Bologna and elsewhere, with live music and a storytelling activity on the meaning and importance of public space, encouraging participants to speak up their voices.

The party will include a sound performance by the artistic duo Tyche and Automatòn.

Follow the event on Facebook.

SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN TO SUPPORT THE PARKLET - PLEASE SHARE!

The PARKLET is a temporary installation created by the cultural association City Space Architecture in the Porto-Saragozza neighborhood in the city of Bologna (Italy), as part of A-Place. Linking places through networked artistic practices, co-funded by the Creative Europe program of the European Union. Read the news here.

What is a PARKLET? A parklet is a public space, for non-profit purposes and open to all, it can be used for free for events and initiatives for the neighborhood.

It was inaugurated on 4 October 2020 and will stay in place till 31 July 2021.

City Space Architecture is paying a fee to the Municipality of Bologna to keep the parklet in place, about € 450 per month, since it was created on September 30, 2020, by replacing three parking spots.

If you believe this is an important opportunity for the community to meet, interact and socialize, and an occasion to discuss about sustainable urban mobility, public space and nature-based solutions in urban contexts, please make a donation to support City Space Architecture. Thank you. 

Follow all activities on the Facebook group.

HOW TO CONTRIBUTE

Sign this online form with your name and share a comment: https://forms.gle/rzHgcCabVaW9gvot7

>>> Donate! every contribution is extremely important: https://donorbox.org/parklet-via-curiel-13-d-bologna