“What would we see if we were to put awe at the center of urban planning?”
Parkly - Transforming Urban Spaces
Modular urban furniture system that transform spaces into vibrant places.
Welcome to the Parkly Place Ideas Newsletter! Each month, we curate ideas, inspiration, and insights for those passionate about urban development, fostering more welcoming, social, and greener cities. We believe that inspiration propels individuals to reconsider the places, cities, or neighborhoods they engage with or reside in, while sharing knowledge empowers action.
“What would we see if we were to put awe at the center of urban planning?”
We are delighted to share the latest interview with Sophia Schuff from Gehl - Making Cities for People The interview shares inspiring insights and learnings, based on her experience as a director and urban anthropologist at Gehl.
Sophia Schuff is a passionate advocate for designing cities that prioritize the well-being of both people and the planet. In the interview she talks about her background in anthropology, shares key advice for tactical initiatives and tells about her love for Tokio.
At Parkly, we aim to foster knowledge sharing through our blog interviews, where we invite urbanists to share their stories, insights, favorite cities, and visions for the future. This platform also serves as a valuable tool for gathering diverse perspectives and feedback on Parkly:
“Gehl and Parkly are driven by a shared vision to Bring People Together. Without cost-effective furniture that can draw diverse groups of people to shared public spaces, we wouldn’t be able to quickly pilot projects and test their impact within communities. Parkly can help urban designers and planners create inviting spaces that enable new social connections and serve as the starting point for broader urban transformations.”
Bringing the benefits of forest into the heart of the city
We have transformed urban spaces in over 10 locations (and counting) this year. For many of these projects, we publish a detailed case article to showcase the work and introduce the variety of inspiring urban transformations. This time, our story takes us to the Lahden kaupunki / City of Lahti where the modular mini health forest offers a space where the benefits of forests can be experienced on a small scale: refreshment, cooling, soundscapes, and scents. The pocket park invites citizens to explore the Health Forest by the City of Lahti. The plants include pines, spruces, birches, and lingonberries, all typical Finnish forest species. While these plants are familiar to locals, they are rarely seen in urban settings.
Join the urban changemaking movement: Parkly Demo Hour
Parkly Demo Hour is an engaging and informative session that offers a deep dive into Parkly's mission, solutions, and real-world case studies. This session is tailored for city planners, urban designers, landscape architects, real estate developers, and anyone interested in rapid, flexible urban transformations that prioritize greener, more social spaces.
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You'll learn about the outcomes of urban greening projects, tactical urban initiatives, the transition to slower, more pedestrian-friendly streets, and the creation of playful, child-friendly environments - as well as how Parkly is used in placemaking projects in the city of Helsinki.
Additionally, we'll provide a tour of Parkly's to be newly released design tool and online editor Parkly Create.
The first Parkly Demo Hour is held on the 19th of September at 9AM CET / 10 AM Helsinki time. Sign up here: https://forms.gle/BedAHiPJEcH4QZV76
If you can’t make it to the first Demo Hour, don’t worry! We’re planning more events, and you can sign up for our email list to stay informed about upcoming sessions in October and November.
We are running a series of posts focusing on the seven key characteristics of a soft city, starting with Human Scale Design. We'll also be publishing a small handbook on the topic later this autumn.
Soft cities are designed with the human experience in mind, emphasizing walkability, bikeability, and the ease of movement for people of all ages. Streets and public spaces are created to be inviting and safe for pedestrians, rather than dominated by cars - there are things to feel, see, touch and sense. Pace is slower, and there is room for play, stay, winding down and meeting others.
Parkly promotes the concept of soft cities by providing innovative, flexible, and human-centered urban furniture solutions that enhance the livability, social connectivity, and sustainability of urban spaces - whether it is a parklet, pocket park or a rooftop - the social connectivity is strengthened through inviting people to stay, connect and use their city.
You can follow the series on Parkly's LinkedIn page or in Instagram.
Parkly at GaLaBlau with Ziegler
The leading international trade fair for urban green and open spaces, GaLaBlau, will take place from September 11-14 in Nuremberg. Our partner for Germany and Austria, ZIEGLER Metallbearbeitung GmbH will be showcasing their solutions for urban greening and creating welcoming public spaces—including Parkly—at their stand.
Thank you for reading! We hope you found this newsletter insightful and inspiring. We're excited to grow our community with your help, so feel free to share this with anyone in your network who might benefit from it!