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On a sunny November in 2006 near the corner of Mission and 1st st in San Francisco someone fed a typical parking meeter. It was the coin drop that would be heard around the world. You see the coin was not meant to park a car but instead a park. REBAR a creative landscape design group had the idea to get people thinking about parking spaces and their wastefulness. “What if we parked a park in one of those spaces instead?” And the idea was born. In only 2 years the concept was replicated in over 200 cities around the globe. Park(ing) day is just another way that communities are forming with the help of the Internet. Just try and organize something so large scale in 1990. You could not do it with a 20 million dollar budget, but today with something as simple as a website and a PDF how-to manual, a good idea can grow around the world. Whats better is the concept is bringing people together and getting them to think differently.
Makes me wonder what other spaces can be rethought if only for a few hours to help bring communities together.
2 responses so far ↓
1 wburg // Nov 28, 2008 at 6:06 pm
Makes me want to take a bolt-cutter to the chain-link fence around a vacant lot at 20th & N where a short-lived park once stood, at least until the lot’s owner put the kibosh on this public use of private space.
2 Levi // Nov 29, 2008 at 6:56 am
I believe every city should have a system in place where they can temporarily, with the vacant lot owners permission turn a lot into a public space. It would require very little in the way of policy changes and as simple sign up site for the public to take care of the space would negate the need for any city staffing.
There are vacant lots all over nearly every part of town that would make perfect temporary parks.
Posted: This park is only temporary until the land owners decides to pursue development on the site. Your use of the park is at the kindness of other residents who put the time effort and care into creating this community space. Please leave it as you found it (or better) Thank you.
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