The Better Block
Founded in 2010, The Better Block helps communities achieve grassroots urban design.
Translation: they help communities circumvent the bureaucratic barriers, rules, ordinances, laws, and empty budgets that keep neighbourhoods from turning into the types of places we love to visit.
They do this by creating living experiments (also known as “charettes”) cheaply, quickly and with no permanent infrastructure.
Bike lanes appear using tape and paint that washes away in the rain. Streets give birth to green boulevards with the help of hay bales and shrubs on loan from local nurseries. Parking lots become enjoyable parkettes thanks to wood skids and sounds created by local musicians.
Almost instantly these experiments create instant feedback and an army of new advocates for change. Sometimes officials show up and say, “You can’t do this,” but Better Block does and people love the joy that results. And that kind of proof makes progress a whole lot easier.
“What I got at the end of this was a neighbourhood. And that’s what we’re all fighting for. All of this, the bike lanes, the café sets, everything. Those things happen in great places where people feel connected. They have a sense of belonging, and we all want that.”
Today, The Better Block helps communities around the world, from Australia to Iran. It even brought its skills to a stretch of Danforth Avenue in Toronto, proving people were willing to give up a few parking spots for a few parkettes.