A new life for parking spaces

In a modern ecological city, streets are adorned by people instead of cars. This noble idea is overshadowed by one "but" from an urban planning perspective: what will happen to current parking spaces in the future when they are no longer filled with cars?

However, a lack of cars does not mean that parking spaces become useless – after all, they are ultimately just areas painted on the road surface. With a little imagination, a parking space can instantly transform into a pillar of sustainable mobility, a green oasis, or a comfortable lounging area.

Why put anything other than a car in a parking space?

Considering alternative uses for roadside parking areas is worthwhile, even if gaping empty parking spaces are not yet a significant problem. By reducing parking spaces, people can be encouraged to choose more environmentally friendly alternatives to private car use. On the other hand, the need to use a parking space for something other than parking may also be temporary. For example, congestion related to various events can be prevented if masses of people can be directed away from sidewalks. This creates a need especially for easily movable furniture solutions.

What can fill a parking space instead of a car?

Bicycle rack

The popularity of cycling is exploding in cities. Instead of finding a parking space, residents' growing concern is securing a resting spot for light two-wheelers during a workday or shopping trip.

Lehtovuori's selection has been updated with two impressive new products, which make the new purpose of a parking space clear! The Bike Port bicycle rack offers a secure locking point for eight bicycles, and the Car Bike Port bicycle rack stores up to ten bicycles while playfully referencing the area's former use. Both bicycle racks function as both freestanding and fixed solutions. This ensures that parking spaces remain adaptable in the future.

Planter

Who wouldn't enjoy beautiful flower arrangements or the shade of trees on a hot summer day? Plants make the city more pleasant but also help mitigate climate change and reduce stormwater runoff.

In Lehtovuori's selection, you'll find stylish planters and basins for a variety of environments.

Terrace

Sidewalk extensions that utilize parking spaces are also called parklets. They create meeting places and seating areas in urban environments, and their flexible relocation from one location to another is possible as needed. Parklet terraces thus offer a convenient way to increase social and economic vitality in a desired area, for example, during a campaign or event.

Lehtovuori's product range also now includes the new Platform parklet terrace solution. It's a pleasant place to observe the city's hustle and bustle, and its modularity allows it to be easily adapted for various uses.

If you want to learn more about our project on Esplanadi in Helsinki, which utilized parklet solutions, you can read more about it via this link.

Lehtovuori at the Municipal Engineering Exhibition on May 14-15, 2025

If you want to see our new products with your own eyes, stop by Lehtovuori's stands at the Municipal Engineering Exhibition at Tampere Exhibition and Sports Centre on May 14-15, 2025! The Bike Port bicycle rack and the Platform parklet terrace solution will be on display at outdoor stand U13.