Taking it to the streets - one Park(ing) space at a time

Ever wonder how the term "parking lot" got into our vocabulary? How in the world did the mechanized behemoths of our car culture ever get associated with the idea of a park? Car parks, parking spaces, and parking meters all seem pretty oxy-moronic when given a second thought. This odd clash of phrasing has given a very creative group of artist/activists from San Francisco the fuel they need to present some fresh ideas about city life and urban planning.














Last September 18th, in cities across the globe, thousands of people participated in activities designed to take back the streets, one parking space at a time। New York to San Diego, Los Angeles to Minneapolis, in Poland, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea, the idea has caught fire in the imaginations of urbanites who are exploring a re-purposing of their cityscapes. Drop some quarters in the meter and create a mini-park for a day on the asphalt. (Can you even put a parking ticket on a lawn chair?) Many of these installations used sod or artificial turf, patio furniture and potted plants, educational displays and musical performances to get the attention of other city dwellers. These curbside activists are trying to focus attention on the need for more parks and green spaces in our urban centers. In the name of community health, vitality and creative approaches to land use, this has become a global event in four years.


First realized in 2005 by a San Francisco artist's collective called "Rebar", Park(ing) Day had over 500 sites in 100 cities on four continents in 2008.

This year was even bigger, and the concept inspired some people in my own Little Italy neighborhood of San Diego, thanks to SEZIO.ORG, a local non-profit artist's organization. This group raised up the flag of urban creative activism and were rewarded by some effective press coverage: local TV news spots and a picture of the installation on the front page of the local paper, the San Diego Union Tribune.

This kind of fresh perspective and thought-provoking action is sorely needed just now, as people world-wide question the status-quo of development and urban growth with new ideas and challenges to the standard definition of how the idea of public space can serve the spirit as well as the body politic.