Happy PARK(ing) Day
PARK(ing) Day 2007 SF, CA, all photos originally uploaded by plaid_iguana
Grab your hammocks, lounge chairs, umbrellas, portable swimming pools, and sod. It’s time to put good use to those PARKing spaces in a way that the urban engineers probably never intended. Today (September 18th, 2009) marks the fourth annual PARKing Day, which has been deemed the international event where traditional city parking spaces become transformed into rent-o-parks for a few hours, in celebration of life, nature, art, kindred spirit, and nature.
The goal of the program can be seen as a bit of a green relief effort at giving city dwellers a break from the daily asphalt jungle, to enjoy a much more people friendly city landscape. While I am sure that some folks who will be hard-pressed to find parking spaces today, may find this celebration somewhat annoying, others will be tickled pink by all the creative thought that goes into some of these temporary parks.
A Little History
If you’ve ever had any doubts about the use of public space in your area, today is the day to drag out your soap boxes and get ready to sing to the choir, as that is fundamentally what PARKing Day is all about. It all started back in 2005, when two groups, Transportation Alternatives and Rebar cooked up similar activist projects involving renting parking space out for community awareness. The space was primarily used for bike parking and friendly chat, but there was a much larger commentary behind these small spaces.
While some will see PARKing Day simply as a chance to break the rules, while having some fun in the process, the real enthusiasts will take this time to sit and chat about today’s use of public space. How important are urban forages and open spaces? What about the garbage and water issues in your city? Through this one day out of each year, participants ultimately focus their attention to altering the urban landscape to exemplify a stronger community and friendlier streets for bicycles and people.
The Asphalt Jungle…
While this may be a huge task for one day out of the year to accomplish, come 9 AM this morning in cities around the world, people will be literally lounging on the street, sipping tropical fruit juices, and soaking in their kiddie pools. Loosen your tie, put on a pair of tennis shoes or maybe even a blindingly ugly pair of Hawaiian print shorts, blow the dust off that old bike, give your car a one day vacation, and celebrate PARKing Day the way it was meant to be… in high style!
