How can we develop and design simple urban spaces to build community and increase quality of life? That’s the question a team of students has set out to answer during the summer 2017 Mountaintop Experience. Matthew Lubitz, a graduate student in political science is leading the team, which includes Lehigh undergraduates Dmitry Kuliaev, Henrietta Lukacs, Courtney Mesilas, and Peter Nguyen, as well as Esther Jang and Hoa Ton from the Pratt Institute. They are working across disciplines this summer to pursue creative and innovative answers to this open-ended question. The student team who is being advised by Karen Beck Pooley, a Professor of Practice in Political Science and the Director of Lehigh’s Environmental Policy Master’s Program, is being challenged to increase their capacities for independent inquiry. They are also taking intellectual risks and learning from failures, collaborating, and recognizing important problems and opportunities to effect constructive and sustainable change.
Through the summer Mountaintop Experience, the Parklet Student Team is researching, developing, designing, and installing ten low-cost, replicable parklets mainly throughout Bethlehem's South Side and determining which parklet models work the best. Most parklets will have chairs or benches, but each will also include a unique element to draw visitors and encourage them to stay, including a Japanese sand garden, a free library and reading nook, exercise equipment, local artwork, an interactive community board, information on bike lanes and biking resources, a music garden, and a performance space. When asked why this project is important, Henrietta Lukacas explained, “Whenever I walk in the streets of larger cities like New York and Philadelphia, I notice the unique ways the cities make their urban environments more welcoming. For smaller cities like Bethlehem, this aspect is lacking. With the help of these parklets, it will change the way that the community feels and interacts with Bethlehem. Our project will hopefully be the example that many other smaller cities need to push their urban environments into the right direction.”
The parklets will mainly be located on Bethlehem’s South Side, with one on the North Side. The exact locations of the parklets include:
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The Goose |
Barreform |
Cutters |
On the Greenway |
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Bonn Place Brewing Company |
Lit |
Godfrey Daniels |
Joe’s Tavern |
It is estimated that the parklets will be completed and be out in the street (likely in phases - with half up at a time) in mid-July and possibly into August.
The success of the parklets will be determined by asking anyone visiting a parklet to complete a short online survey. The surveys will give the team feedback on what about each parklet people liked or did not like, who visited each parklet and how long they stayed, and whether the presence of the parklet affected people’s perception of neighborhood safety and walkability. Additionally, the team will conduct pedestrian counts and user counts. The data from the surveys will be analyzed to determine which parklets, which design elements, and which locations proved to be most successful. The hope is that “this parklet project will result in a more positive and sustainable urban lifestyle that benefits all stakeholders,” said Hoa Ton.
Thanks to the Mountaintop Experience, the Parklet Team is experiencing a meaningful summer full of independent inquiry, taking intellectual risks, collaboration, and effecting constructive and sustainable change. As Henrietta Lukacas states, “Watching our dreams become reality is my favorite part of this project. Just in the first few weeks, our team has transformed our ideas into real-life parklets. The progress that we have made is amazing. I’m excited to see the finished results and how the community responds to them.” The hope is that these temporary parklets may be transformed into more permanent neighborhood fixtures, and also that they might encourage additional temporary parklets around key events such as Car Free Day in the fall.
Be sure to check out the parklets in mid-July and into August and let the student team know what you think! More information and photos can be found on the pop up parklet website and Instagram page.