As Earth day approaches, Haddonfield officials are looking to do something new and unusual on their Main Street. That something is called a “Parklet”, or mini-park created within the street environs or parking zone where it becomes an extension of the sidewalk. Parklets are popping up in many cities and towns to create small green spaces on busy streets for pedestrians to gather, socialize, enjoy a meal or just sit and relax. Some parklets are semi- permanent designs with fixed walls, seats and planters while others are intended for special events in the town, like festivals and celebrations. Haddonfield’s parklet will be created near Kings Court and the pedestrian crossing. In this way, it will be close to Earth Day exhibits and activities in Kings Court. Although International Earth Day is officially observed on April 22, Haddonfield will celebrate their event on Saturday, April 25.
The parklet will be constructed with volunteer labor and materials donated by Knolltop Nursery. The design was developed by Brad Dipadova. Members of Sustainable Haddonfield, the Environmental Commission and the local school students are invited to pitch in on Friday to set everything up. Knolltop’s design calls for use of recycled shipping pallets to create a green boundary between traffic and the parklet. Benches, planters, mulch and sod will be arranged in the space to create this temporary green haven on the busy street. While borough officials understand that parking is vital to downtown businesses, a new balance can be found to create new civic and green spaces for residents and visitors to enjoy. This temporary parklet will test public opinions about how to best balance the changing needs of people while reducing public space dedicated to automobiles. This pop-up experiment fits very nicely with the Green Building and Sustainability element being developed for the Borough’s Master Plan.
More information can be found on the Borough’s website and well as at Sustainablehaddonfield.com.
