Iowa City to install artful bicycle parklet

IOWA CITY - Bicyclists and pedestrians alike will have a new place to 'play” in downtown Iowa City this August.

City officials and representatives of Think Bicycles of Johnson County chose the winning design for a downtown bike parklet - a bike rack with added functions.

The parklet, designed by OPN Architects, spells out the word 'play” in pink and white bars that people can climb on or hook their bikes to.

The modular structure, which can be removed during the winter, should hold up to 40 bicycles. It also includes a bike 'fix-it” station.

The parklet will be put in a loading zone outside of U.S. Bank on the corner of Dubuque and Washington streets.

Nate Kaeding, retail development director for the Iowa City Downtown District, said the design was chosen out of six entries because it is functional as well as a piece of art.

The parklet, he said, is meant to provide a visual cue that the city is supportive of bicycling.

'It's a very bikeable and walkable area,” Kaeding said. 'We'll continue to see over the next few years improvements both inside of downtown and out of it.”

The city budgeted about $20,000 for the parklet, out of $25,000 set aside to promote bicycling. Most of the remaining money went to advertising and awareness, Kaeding said.

Anne Duggan, president of Think Bicycles, said the area around the parklet needed more bicycle parking because riders were attaching bikes to signs or parking meters, especially during big events downtown. She said she liked the parklet because of its capacity and its ability to handle different kinds of bikes - and the design didn't hurt either.

'At least for me, it had a whimsy to it that I think is really fun,” Duggan said.

Justin Bishop, an associate principal at OPN Architects, said the design submission is called a 'Play on Words” and has the potential for growth. He said words like 'bike,” 'move” or other verbs could be turned into similar parklets in other places downtown.

OPN Architects, which has three locations, including in Cedar Rapids, plans to expand to a downtown Iowa City location in August. The parklet design, Bishop said, was a way for the company to invest in the community.