Main Street Disaster and Resilience Toolkit
This publication is designed to help Main Streets and commercial district organizations better prepare for and respond to more frequent and severe disasters.
Marion, IA © Uptown Marion
Downloads
- Aarp brief 5 trails and parks (PDF) 4.3 MB
In light of COVID-19 social distancing guidelines, local leaders across the country are increasingly looking to parklet and pedlet programs as an easy, quick, and relatively inexpensive design solution to create more physical space for businesses in commercial districts. Essentially sidewalk extensions, parklets and pedlets repurpose one or more parking spaces or lanes and offer space for myriad uses, including additional seating, greenspace, public art, curbside pickup, or walking space.
In this brief, we explore the history and benefits of parklets and pedlets, outline a series of priorities local leaders should consider when installing these infrastructure elements, and provide examples from cities large and small demonstrating just how important these space-creation strategies can be as part of COVID-19 management efforts.
Commercial District Design Series
Produced in collaboration between Main Street America and AARP Livable Communities, Commercial District Design: COVID-19 Response and Management is a series of design-centered briefs developed to equip community leaders with safe, equitable, age-friendly strategies to support economic recovery from the impacts of COVID-19.
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Sterling, Illinois. © Sterling Main Street
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Richmond, CA © Ellen Gailing
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Metuchen, NJ © Lauren Beischer
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