Temporary Plaza

Temporary plazas, or pop-up plazas, are projects that improve roadway safety and increase accessible public space in commercial districts or residential areas. Temporary plazas claim unused or over-built vehicular roadway space such as slip lanes or irregular intersections to create additional space for street furnishings, plantings, and other neighborhood amenities that increase neighborhood interaction, health, and well-being. Temporary plazas might also provide the physical space for outdoor gyms, community events, food vendors, and new street murals.

New York, NY (Wikimedia Commons, Tdorante10, CC BY-SA 4.0)	New York, NY (Wikimedia Commons, Tdorante10, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Program Goals This Project Type Meets

• Invite public use
• Improve business

Typical Applications

• To reconfigure irregular and unsafe street geometries to simplify vehicular movements and increase roadway safety.
• Where the roadway configuration seems redundant or over-built and underutilized, such as corners where there are right-turn channels or excessive turn radii. These are mostly installed in downtown areas or along commercial corridors where foot traffic is moderate or high, or at neighborhood streets where there is a strong need for new and/or enhanced public space.

Material Options

• Striping and Surface Treatments
  • Demonstration
    • Sidewalk chalk
    • Cornstarch paint
    • Traffic tape
    • Tempera paint
    • Spray chalk
    • Spray paint
  • Pilot or RAPID Projects
    • Acrylic traffic paint
    • DLPM
    • Epoxy Gravel
    • Thermoplastic
• Vertical Barriers
  • Demonstration
    • Traffic cones
    • Traffic barrels
    • Freestanding delineators
    • Flex post
    • K71 flex posts
    • Wave delineators
    • Low-profile traffic separators
    • Planters
    • Plastic jersey barriers
    • Ceramic markers
    • Parking stops
  • Pilot or RAPID Projects
    • Flex post
    • K71 flex posts
    • Wave delineators
    • Low-profile traffic separators
    • Planters
    • Plastic jersey barriers
    • Concrete jersey barriers
    • Ceramic markers
    • Parking stops
• Other
  • Temporary accessible ramp
  • Street furniture
  • Bike parking
  • Shade

Design Considerations

• Delineate clear and legible plaza outlines and perimeters for both plaza users and vehicle drivers.
• Consider traffic speeds and volumes surrounding the temporary plaza and how those will impact pedestrian accessibility from the adjacent sidewalks.
• Consider street geometry and stormwater runoff when placing furniture items and planters.
• Consider using wheel stops for adjacent parking lanes where needed. Parking shouldn’t be allowed anywhere inside the temporary plaza.
• Maintain truck, bus, and fire truck turning ability.
• Temporary plazas are usually best implemented along with other placemaking and safety applications such as curb extensions, parklets, crosswalk art and intersection murals.
• Consider crashworthy barriers such as jersey barriers.

Other Considerations

• Power washing the intersection, without interfering with existing markings, before installing the plaza may help increase the longevity of the art.
• ADA accessibility of the sidewalks, curb ramps, and plaza itself, particularly for pedestrians with visual impairments
• Consider the time of year for outdoor public use. Periods with nicer weather and less rain will attract more users.
• Consider adjacent land uses and how those will impact the plaza’s success.
• For best results, install plaza right after a roadway resurfacing project.
• Consider contacting local artists and local businesses for plaza and artwork design.
• Consider developing programming that caters to a diverse audience to activate the space at different times (weekends, evenings, etc.)
• Develop a plaza removal strategy and consider having an agreement with agency partners.

Other Resources

• NACTO Urban Streets Design Guide: Interim Public Plazas