An Oral History of the Parklet

Designers, urbanists, and activists dive into the past, present, and future of the idea that saved dining out during the pandemic.

With a wooden bench, a strip of sod, a hastily purchased tree, and a handful of quarters, three designers from Rebar, an art and design studio with a bent for activism, took over a nondescript parking space in downtown San Francisco on a busy weekday in 2005 and turned it into a tiny park. 

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