PlusUrbia Design’s “LA TERRACITA” parklet

Named Finalist for 2016 Public Space Challenge by the Miami Foundation

PlusUrbia Design’s vision to create a parklet out of parking spaces in Little Havana is a finalist in the 2016 Public Space Challenge sponsored by the Miami Foundation. The Coconut Grove-based studio’s proposal for a low-cost, high-impact urban oasis was chosen from more than 400 submissions.

PlusUrbia is well-known for its urban interventions in Little Havana, including myCalle8.org - for a complete streets redesign of Calle Ocho. The studio’s parklet would create a public gathering space (to play dominoes or to just hang out) in a densely populated area in a neighborhood with one of the lowest indexes of open space per capita in the country. 

“La Terracita creates a gathering place in the dense urban neighborhood lacking on open space. Diversity, density and proximity to jobs are East Little Havana’s strengths. But all those people have very few places to gather to play dominoes, discuss politics and rest their bones on comfortable chairs,” said Camila Zablah, a designer at PlusUrbia.

“This parklet is for the locals, away from the tourists of Calle8. Separated from traffic, raised above street level to connect to the existing sidewalk, this small grouping of tables and chairs can be the start of something big – an emphasis on livability in Little Havana.”

Parklets can be replicated throughout Miami to create welcoming open spaces in urban areas.

http://plusurbia.com/blog/