Spring Brings Flowers and New Parklets Sprouting Up in Central DC

Golden Triangle BID is activating downtown with parklets and events

WASHINGTON, April 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- New parklets and more social spaces in DC's central business district are creating lively outdoor gathering spots with furniture and art for visitors, residents, and workers in the Golden Triangle.

The Golden Triangle Business Improvement District (BID) is rolling out a series of social spaces, including four parklets, to offer seating areas where everyone can relax outdoors and enjoy the company of others while downtown. 

Two parklets, constructed near Dupont Circle and Farragut Square, are the first in the Golden Triangle, with additional parklets being installed along Pennsylvania Avenue—just west of the White House—and the busy M Street corridor later this spring. The BID worked with Vestre to fabricate the parklets to transform the streetscape and provide attractive meeting places with accessible and seamless transitions from the sidewalks.

Serving as informal spaces where the community can socialize and linger, the parklets feature decks, furniture, greenery, and unique artwork. In addition, the Golden Triangle BID added a pocket park and illuminated sculpture at the Connecticut Avenue Overlook and new, permanent furniture in parks across the Golden Triangle.

DC Councilmember Brooke Pinto, whose Ward 2 includes the heart of Downtown DC and the boundaries of the Golden Triangle, said she was happy to see the BID working to create vibrant and accessible public space for people.

"These social spaces are so essential as part of our efforts to encourage people to spend more time in Downtown areas," Pinto said. "I look forward to visiting these spaces and enjoying the public art, as will countless residents and visitors who will benefit from these parklets." 

The Golden Triangle BID is planning multiple activations around the downtown area this spring and summer, including free fitness events, live music, games, and bicycling promotions.

"Whether you would like to spend your lunch break playing cornhole or eating a salad while listening to music or anything in between, we're designing welcoming spaces for everyone," said Leona Agouridis, President and CEO of the Golden Triangle BID and a leader in the effort to transform DC's commercial core. "Our parklets are spaces for everyone and we want people to use them to savor the seasons in DC."

The Golden Triangle BID recently decorated the downtown area with scores of unique haiku poems, written by people from all over the world to celebrate nature and spring. These haikus were printed on signs and added to tree gardens around the community's 44-square blocks. Moreover, the BID has been promoting new public art displays, including featuring works by women and BIPOC artists.

The Golden Triangle's social spaces are made possible by the Streets for People grant program under the DC Office of Planning. This program seeks to support economic recovery and celebrate DC's diverse culture by attracting people to a vibrant area of activated blocks, sidewalks, streets, and parks.

The full list of social spaces can be found at https://goldentriangledc.com/. To keep informed of Golden Triangle activities, follow the BID at @GoldenTriDC.

About the Golden Triangle Business Improvement District

Formed in 1998, the Golden Triangle Business Improvement District (BID) enhances Washington, DC's central business district, the 44-square-block neighborhood stretching from The White House to Dupont Circle. For more information, visit: goldentriangledc.com on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

SOURCE Golden Triangle Business Improvement District