Rotterdam Offers Free Parklets to Help Local Businesses Turn Parking Spots Into Terraces
Rotterdam is taking its businesses outside with terraces in street parking spaces to allow enterprises to offer their services in a safe, socially distant setting.
Lockdowns around the world are easing and businesses are starting to open up with modifications to ensure social distancing and public safety. Rotterdam municipality is helping local businesses to reopen by offering free decking to create an outdoor terraced area to carry out business activities in a safe space.
Decking can be requested for free and will be delivered free of charge and collected again when the initiative ends in November. Businesses can also create their own terraces using parking spaces in front of the premises without obtaining a permit. The decks provided by the municipality are made from wood from local nature parks ensuring that the initiative will be carried out in a way that is most beneficial to the local economy and environment.
Small shops and venues are especially at risk from social distancing measures where they might only be able to safely have one or two customers in the premises at any one time. Businesses such as hairdressers, cafes and bars can now open their doors and safely welcome customers off the street and onto their terraces. Being outdoors is ideal to maintain hygienic and safe conditions for both good ventilation and enough space from other people and this will not only help businesses and the local economy but also make the public and workers feel safe in public spaces again.
