New Yorkers to Create PreFab Parks for Park(ing) Day
Sean Conroe, 10 Aug 09
What comes to mind when you picture “livable streets?" For me, the phrase conjures up consciously-designed, pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods, where people -- not cars -- are priority.
But what if we were to take the phrase "livable streets" literally?
Park(ing) Day 2009 allows us to do just that. What began in 2005 as an attempt by a San Francisco art collective to highlight the lack of public space in urban areas has now turned into an international event. Once a year, artists and activists take to the streets and transform 9’ by 18’ rectangles of urban real estate into bite sized parks, effectively creating a livable street.
This year, Park(ing) Day is slated for September 18th. As an added bonus, New York City will be challenging the creative minds to design a "POP.Park," a prefabricated, on-the-go park that can be taken anywhere and set up in a matter of minutes. To see if your city is involved, scope out the map to find out.
As this event grows in size and popularity, it provides a unique way to continue raising awareness of diminishing public space while raising questions on how we've come to let the automobile dominate our every day lives. Even though the event is a mere 24 hours, the premise behind Park(ing) Day has lasting effects that helps to advance our efforts to create vibrant, healthy and walkable communities that are designed for the 21st century.
We want to know what you have planned for Park(ing) Day! Be sure to keep us posted by uploading some pictures (or better yet -- video) to our Worldchanging Photopool on Flickr!
Park(ing) day is such a good idea and it´s great to see it is expanding. This year is going to take place even in Bilbao, where I am from. I find it a good way to reclaim public spaces with an imaginative idea
Posted by: Manu Fernandez on 10 Aug 09
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