markers, furthering the notion that bus stops can be gateways to neighborhoods. The City’s Parklet Program The City of Minneapolis Public Works Department oversees and facilitates a Parklet Program. A parklet is a modular structure that is placed in an on-street parking space as a means to extend the pedestrian realm. Some parklets feature outdoor seating in front of restaurants, for example. The City has three parklets that it loans to businesses, organizations, or property owners each summer through an application process. The City also has a manual for those who wish to construct their own parklet. The CARAG (Calhoun Area Residents Action Group) neighborhood association is an example of an organization that has created their own parklet. The organization used a charrette process with the neighborhood to design the parklet, inviting community participation, and works with a business each year to host the parklet. The process includes filling out an encroachment permit and naming the City of Minneapolis under their liability insurance. A relevant aspect of this program, that could lead to a better understanding of how to increase the community ownership of bus stops, is how an agency can take initiative to start a program and that community groups such as neighborhood associations can turn this initiative into momentum. This relationship could lay the foundation for fruitful neighborhood-wide pilot programs between Metro Transit and community groups.
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(Opposite) Parklet in public right-ofway. Photo from City of Minneapolis