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RISE City Lab Munich

Designing parklets as platforms for civic engagement

Sector

Philanthropy

Region

Europe

Timespan

2021

Building day of the parklet on Landwehr Street in Munich. Credit: FreiRaum-Viertel

From April to October 2021, the BMW Foundation invited Gehl to advise on the first RISE City Lab Munich — a pilot process aimed at bringing together citizens and decision-makers to share views and ideas on how to make cities more resilient, equitable, and sustainable.

The parklets became dedicated spaces for the community to discuss neighborhood management and safety. They also provided a platform for residents to share their needs and desires for the area. Credit: FreiRaum-Viertel
The finished parklet, constructed from crates, featured planters and offered various seating options, creating a pleasant environment for people to linger and interact. Credit: FreiRaum-Viertel

Dialogues for long-term change

A parklet repurposes part of a street into a public space for people. It can include seating, planting, bike parking, or art. It is open and accessible to all. For RISE City Lab Munich, Gehl supported the FreiRaum-Viertel initiative in piloting and refining the concept for temporary parklets in Munich’s Südliche Bahnhofsviertel neighborhood and how they can serve as platforms to spark dialogues for long-term change. 

The parklets transformed parking spaces into areas for recreation, culture, and social interaction. Throughout the intervention, they acted as catalysts for discussions on the redistribution of public spaces — demonstrating the potential for transforming urban environments to better meet community needs. To support the process, Gehl conducted a mini-Public Space Public Life Survey together with the FreiRaum-Viertel team, and documented how the parklets supported new life in and around their locations. The insights gained from the FreiRaum-Viertel project underscored the need for cleaner air, spaces to hang out, and areas for people to simply ‘be’. 

The initial pilot phase successfully highlighted the benefits of small-scale urban interventions in promoting social interaction and enhancing public life. Gehl director Rasmus Duong-Grunnet shared the project findings at the renowned BMW Pavilion in Munich, alongside contributions from then-Mayor Katrin Habenschaden and Head of Mobility Department, Georg Dunkel.

Munich’s Head of Mobility Department, Georg Dunkel, visits the parklet on his shared cargo bike. Credit: FreiRaum-Viertel
Rasmus Duong-Grunnet, Project Director
Helle Søholt, Founding Partner & Board Chair
Credit: Inka Reiter

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