berkeley, ca
fall 2026
- course
- CYPLAN 241, with the North Shattuck Association
- team
- Grace Daniels, Kaihong Cui
- my role
- Parklet map, axonometrics, street sections, sticker survey
- tools
- Illustrator, Photoshop, Street View, Berkeley permits
planning brief / 04
When parking spaces become parklets, who actually gets to use them: the public, or a business’s customers?
methods + data
- Berkeley permit records for every parklet on the street, 2014 to 2025
- Street View history and tape measurements of nine parklets
- One hour activity counts at Saul’s, the Cheese Board and Crepevine
- Sticker survey boards at all three, plus catalog sheets and drawings in the style of San Francisco’s Parklet Manual
what we found
- 01Of about 329 square meters of parklet, 15% is open to anyone and 69% is for customers only.
- 02At Saul’s, the private deck (13 tables and 27 chairs by permit) is 73% of that site’s parklet space.
- 03In one lunch hour 54 people used Saul’s, and staff set even the public tables with cutlery and napkins.
- 04Almost every survey respondent had bought something: 15 of 16 at Saul’s and 12 of 13 at the Cheese Board.
- 05The Cheese Board parklet drew 27 people in an hour, 23 of them 65 or older.
- 06Berkeley lists parklet site plans in its permit system but doesn’t let the public download them.
what we recommend
- 01Mark public parklets clearly as public seating, open to anyone without buying.
- 02Keep table service and place settings off public parklet seats.
- 03Publish approved parklet site plans online with each permit.
- 04Report each block’s public versus private parklet share when permits are renewed.
04.1
who gets the curb?
A community engagement study of the street’s nine parklets, the platforms that turn parking spaces into seating.
Of about 329 square meters of parklet, 15% is open to anyone and 69% is for customers only.
04.2
three parklets
Saul’s, the Cheese Board and Crepevine, measured on site and checked against permits and Street View, drawn the way San Francisco’s Parklet Manual draws them.
- my role
- Axonometrics and sections
04.3
counting and asking
We counted everyone using each parklet for an hour and asked people with a sticker board.
At lunch, 54 people used Saul’s in an hour; 15 of 16 sticker answers came from people who had bought something.
- my role
- Count and survey slides, sticker board
next / 01
stitched city
richmond, ca · summer 2026