Sustainable transport charity, Sustrans Cymru is transforming part of a road in Cardiff to demonstrate how, with a little creativity and lots of colour, a regular street can be re-modelled to create an inviting space, where people choose to spend their time and children can be free to play safely. Sustrans Cymru’s first ever ‘parklet’ event, will take place on Tuesday 24th May from 10.30am – 1.00pm and will launch the charity’s new placemaking guide which shows that when designed well, streets have great potential to encourage people to socialise, play and use local businesses.
Sustrans will use its custom-made ‘street kit’, an innovative kit of life-size building blocks to create a colourful, vibrant space on the street. Local businesses have been invited to come along and witness how the space can be used differently. The charity will also be joined by Cardiff’s very own Handlebar Barista, the local Portuguese Bakery; Nata & Co, bike storage specialists Odoni Elwell, and Pedal Emporium.
Sustrans’ Urban Designer, Lindsey Brown said:
‘For too long, streets, roads and the spaces between buildings have been designed only as corridors, channelling movement from one destination to the next. We want to see streets designed as multi-functional spaces that support our everyday lives, encouraging us to spend time outside, inspiring children to play and enhancing local businesses. Our approach to transforming streets allows people to experiment and experience spaces in their neighbourhood differently before making a commitment to permanent change. Successfully trialled in Bristol and London, we look forward to bringing this approach to towns and cities in Wales’.
The event will see the announcement of the winners of Sustrans’ Cymru Travel Challenge, an online travel challenge throughout Wales which has workplaces swapping their usual modes of transport for healthier, more sustainable methods.
The event can be followed on Twitter @sustranscymru and on Facebook.
The hashtag for the event is: #streetsforpeople
Event Details
When: 10:30am, Tuesday 24th May
Where: Sustrans Cymru, 123 Bute Street, Cardiff, CF10 5AE
Bicycle parking available, provided by Odoni Elwell
