FEBRUARY 23, 2015

Al fresco meals are an integral part of the vibrant urban street. The expansion of dining opportunities out of the cafe or restaurant to the sidewalk affords the pleasures of our mild climate, but it also brings with it challenges. Marking boundaries and providing separation without walling patrons off from street life is not easy*. Also, it is not always possible, or desirable, to create permanent structures on the sidewalk. This might be thought of as the “Al Fresco Challenge.”

We have spotted a number of clever portable responses to the challenge on travels though Oakland’s Temescal and Uptown neighborhoods and the waterfront district. All on wheels, these dividers can be moved as needed or brought in when the restaurant closes. As a landscape architect I am pleased to see plants integrated into these pieces of rolling street furniture. My favorite is the “U” shaped bench that one cafe puts out for waiting customers. After rolling it out to the street, the piece is flipped on to its side, protecting a street tree.

*The phrase al fresco is borrowed from Italian. In English it has come to mean dining outside—literally it means “in the cool air”, but the Italians do not use the term to in the same way. Instead, they say fuori or all’aperto. Al fresco usually refers to spending time in jail!