Talk:Tag:leisure=parklet

This tag seems quite dubious to me. Do I understand it correctly that exactly the same feature can be parklet or not depending on whether parking space existed there before? Mateusz Konieczny (talk) 11:08, 2 January 2026 (UTC)

A parklet is a specific type of street furniture, characterised by the fact that it is located on or next to the street (and cars may otherwise park there). I would say that without the connection to the street/(ex) parking space, this feature couldn't exist in a meaningful way. See also the description of parklets on Wikipedia.

Do you know of anything that you would call a “parklet” that is not located in the street space? Supaplex030 (talk) 15:32, 2 January 2026 (UTC)

My problem with leisure=parklet is that "parklet" seems to be about reclaiming/using space that was previously wasted or reserved for cars. Which is often a good idea as far as space planning in cities goes. But in OpenStreetMap it is quite problematic to decided what exactly qualifies. Wikipedia has "sidewalk extension that provides more space and amenities for people using the street. Usually parklets are installed on parking lanes and use several parking spaces" which covers - for example - basically all bicycle parkings, green space along carriageway etc. While use of this, as understand, is more for space that got reclaimed. And here it gets further trickier: lets say that some space got reclaimed in clear parklets, and then road was rebuilt and these become more permanent, not just spaces put on top of parking spaces. Is it still a parklet? Mateusz Konieczny (talk) 17:00, 2 January 2026 (UTC)

BTW, "sidewalk extension that provides more space and amenities for people using the street" definition is also fulfilled by parking spaces! Overall, it is horribly poorly defined as far as OSM POI goes and is more useful as campaigning term Mateusz Konieczny (talk) 17:03, 2 January 2026 (UTC)

After all, the term doesn't come from the OSM world. So I don't see any problem in mapping something that is called a parklet (or that anyone familiar with parklets would recognize as a parklet) as a parklet. And mapping something that isn't a parklet as whatever else it is (e.g., a bicycle stand or sidewalk extension). How else should we map them? In the end, it is a separate/specific category of street furniture imho (common in many cities around the world).

And if, after structural changes, they remain in place and lose all connection to a former street (which would be very unusual—normally, the street would continue to exist as a pedestrian road, for example), then they are simply a testament to the former use of the street. And if, after a generation, no one remembers that there used to be a street here (and a normal parklet would have long since exceeded its lifespan), then we as mappers can still ask ourselves how we should map a “wooden structure with seats” instead ;)

(The features that are part of a parklet or located on a parklet can of course also be mapped as separate features (benches, bicycle stands, trees, etc.).) Supaplex030 (talk) 19:51, 2 January 2026 (UTC)

The problem is that according to definition on this page, every single bicycle parking on road can be wrapped in leisure=parklet area. This is utterly pointless. (and also every single parking space, every single eatery sitting area and so on). And according to wikipedia definition also every single such object located on sidewalk. Mateusz Konieczny (talk) 08:57, 7 January 2026 (UTC)

I added the following sentence to the definition of "Parklets" on the top of the page to make that more clear: "Usually they are mobile urban installations made of wood or pallets, which are designed to allow easy setup, relocation, or removal." Supaplex030 (talk) 15:39, 8 January 2026 (UTC)

This still means that any bicycle parking or parking space on road can be wrapped in leisure=parklet area Mateusz Konieczny (talk) 12:23, 13 January 2026 (UTC)

It's hard for me to imagine a bicycle parking or parking space that fits the definition “mobile urban installation made of wood or pallets, which is designed to allow easy setup, relocation, or removal”. Can you elaborate, or do you have any examples? (Except, of course, bicycle stands located on a parklet – then they can be mapped inside the parklet polygon.) Supaplex030 (talk) 10:19, 14 January 2026 (UTC)

"Usually they are" makes OK to map any amenities on road to as parklet. What is still missing is distinguishment between "parklet" and any amenity of road. As I understand, this depends not on a current state but on past history (whether it used to be a parking space), making this not really verifiable. For me it has the same problem as say amenity=urban_renewal used where urban tissue was improved would be. @Supaplex030: Mateusz Konieczny (talk) 13:38, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

No, it is not OK to map any amenity anywhere on the street as a parklet if it does not have any of the characteristics that parklets are known for. And in my opinion, enough of these are mentioned in the article ("sidewalk extensions", "provides more space and amenities for people using the street", "mobile urban installations", "made of wood or pallets", "designed to allow easy setup, relocation, or removal", "often offer a place to stop, sit and rest or provide greenery, art, or some other visual amenity").
The “Usually they are” in “Usually they are mobile urban installations made of wood or pallets” means that there may be some that do not appear particularly "mobile" because they are permanently bolted or “built in,” or that there are some made of metal instead of wood or pallets (take a look at the image search for “parklet” and you will find some that are special in some way, even if it is clear from the overall appearance that it is a parklet).
“Usually they are” definitely doesn’t mean that something can be mapped as a parklet in OSM that has nothing to do with any of the criteria mentioned.
What exactly would be your suggestion for this article for solving which problem? Supaplex030 (talk) 20:09, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

@Supaplex030: I do not consider this tag as verifiable, fixable or usable. "provides more space and amenities for people using the street" does describe nearly all amenities on or near roads so does not narrow things at all. "sidewalk extensions" can be treated as excluding parking spaces for cars, but basically nothing else is excluded. "often offer a place to stop, sit and rest or provide greenery, art, or some other visual amenity" does not narrow down much and "often" allows enterprising mapper to ignore it anyway Mateusz Konieczny (talk) 14:33, 22 January 2026 (UTC)

Not expecting this to be rescuable - but maybe this page can explain how and why typical random amenity=bicycle_parking on sidewalk or replacing car parking space does not count as parklet? I can find some images if you need them. Basically, add some counterexamples explaining why not all street furniture is a parklet. Mateusz Konieczny (talk) 14:33, 22 January 2026 (UTC)

I further sharpened the definition and added a note in the "How to map" section about amenities that aren't part of a parklet. Even though I didn't think it would be necessary: we don't mention that a post box or a planter isn't a waste basket, even though they are single small containers that are easily accessible for pedestrians and you can put garbage in them  ;) Supaplex030 (talk) 12:32, 23 January 2026 (UTC)