Park(ing) Day comes to DC this year on September 18th, joining the several cities worldwide that participate. It is a joint effort of ReadysetDC and F1RSTNR, two DC -based creative enterprises that push for creative, sustainable and independent thinking in this city. To participate go here. For general questions or suggestions, email info@parkingdaydc.org.
PARK(ing) Day began in 2005 when Rebar, a San Francisco art collective, converted a single metered parking space into a temporary public park in an area of San Francisco that is underserved by public open space.
Back then the project was named simply PARK(ing), and was devised as a creative exploration of how urban public space is allocated and used. For example, up to 70% of San Francisco’s downtown outdoor space is dedicated to the vehicle, while only a fraction of that space is allocated to the public realm. Paying the meter of a parking space enables one to lease precious urban real estate on a short-term basis. What is the range of possible activities for this short-term lease?
Since 2005, the project has grown into PARK(ing) Day, an annual worldwide phenomenon, created independently by groups of artists, activists and citizens. Along the way, Rebar has been supported by several non-profits that share our values and concerns about how urban space is used. PARK(ing) Days in the past would not have been possible without support from The Trust for Public Land, Black Rock Arts Foundation and Public Architecture.
No comments:
Post a Comment