Just over one year after Jonathan Behnke developed a vision for a parklet to memorialize former classmate, Isaak Kornelsen, his vision is becoming a reality. Isaak was a University of Alberta student and Golden Bears track athlete who died in a cycling accident on his way to work at Cafe Mosaics on Whyte Avenue in August 2012.

Jon, a University of Guelph Landscape Architecture student, is wrapping up an internship with the Meewasin Valley Authority in Saskatoon. One of his first acts upon returning home to Edmonton is to begin building his parklet in modules. The modules will be brought to the site and assembled on August 29. The site has not yet been confirmed but Jon hopes that it will be close to the accident site, near 101 Street on Whyte Avenue.

The parklet will stand for one day and will be a focal point for the Edmonton Bicycle Commuters’ Isaak Kornelsen Memorial Ride. In the meantime, Jon is seeking people, knowledge, skills, supplies, and funds to help with the build. If you’d like to help out, check out his Indiegogo page here.