Urbis Associate Director Alison Lee remembers the outcry when she worked on a project that removed two on-street car parking spaces in Carlton, just north of Melbourne CBD.
Despite complaints from some traders and residents, in came bike-parking spaces and dining areas. They were a wild success. Cafes and restaurants revelled in the extra space while crowds spilled into neighbouring retailers.
Sound familiar? What could easily be a recount of Melbourne’s pandemic-inspired parklet dining trial in fact first occurred more than a decade ago.