Parking Day

This Friday, September 16, Casey Trees will transform impervious street parking in Dupont Circle into an instant park to promote the environmental, social and financial benefits of trees as part of Park(ing) Day 2011.

(from http://blog.caseytrees.org/2011/09/casey-trees-bringing-parking-day-to-dc.html)

PARK(ing) Day is an annual event that brings together activists, artists and citizens to temporarily transform metered parking spaces into public parks and other social spaces all over the world. In 2010, more than 800 “PARK” installations in more than 80 cities in 30 countries were created.

Casey Trees’ temporary park at the intersection of New Hampshire Avenue and Q Street NW is slated to be the only officially recognized Park(ing) Day site in Washington, D.C.

DC’s Park(ing) Day began in the early morning hours with a trip to collect 12 rolls of sod (about 120 square feet), just enough for a full parking spot. After surveying the major streets it was decided to set up in the 14th Street corridor near Garden District who so graciously allowed us use of their new location the year before. Set up took just about 10 minutes and we started feeding the meter around noon.

Photos started surfacing on Flickr almost immediately and here are some from Steven Greenstreet who documented our humble park for most of the day.

Throughout the day we were visited by a lot of foot traffic consisting of local business owners, school children, cyclists and the occasional traveler including a Spanish reality TV show from Madrid. We set up horseshoes which attracted a lot of attention (and friendly competition) and more than a few visitors from the West Coast who had either heard of or participated in their own Park(ing) Day. Clean up took just about 15 minutes and the sod was given a good home outside Carlos Rosario Career Center in Columbia Heights.

After two years of Park(ing) Day in DC, we’ve learned a few things and I wanted to share our impressions and ideas for next year:

• Permitting just doesn’t work - it makes more sense to do guerrilla parks as opposed to organized locations which the city sanctions. We’ve shown that a temporary park is safe and presents no threat to everyday activity or flow of traffic.
• Corridor takeover - We’ve had great success on 14th street; police drive by without issue and parking attendants just plain avoid us. Abundant foot traffic allows for natural interaction and parking spot turnaround guarantees that there is enough balance between the need for parking and the taking over of spots.
• Scale is a factor - As we take over more spots each year, it might be that there’s a middle ground between spectacle and large-scale involvement that could cause friction. If even two more parks are added within the vicinity of each other, our activity could become “annoying” or something that at least attracts attention from police. On the other hand, saturating a street with parks until there’s little that can be done to interrupt us without an inappropriate amount of force seems like a safer move (we’re talking about parks after all, not a mob). From a law enforcement perspective, it’s expedient to let a few get away with something out of the ordinary, best to curtail something as it starts to get out of hand and hardest to make everyone stop when critical mass has been reached. I think critical mass is about five parks strewn about, enforcing each other, creating a de facto happening, justifying its own existence.
• Materials, concept and volunteers - Sod and other day-of materials need to be collected in advance. The earlier the parks are deployed the easier it is to find spots. Activities go over really well and it would be great to have themed parks; one for reading, one for music, one for games, one for some sort of visual art, and one for just relaxing. Of course this takes some prep time and although we originally assumed one month would be sufficient, it is obvious more time is needed. Next year we’ll be stating to organize much sooner and seeking more support from organizations that couldn’t participate this year for lack of permitting and time.

Thanks to all who attended and supported us on Friday including our volunteers and the ReadysetDC crew. It’s inspiring to meet people concerned about the need for more green space and to have their help organizing fresh, lively spaces for public interaction within the District of Columbia.

The main event is almost upon us. Tomorrow’s weather for Park(ing) Day is looking good in the district, 85° F and mostly sunny, perfect for biking and  setting up our guerilla parks. We’ll be getting started early on Friday, around 6 AM so please get in touch if you are planning on needing sod or other supplies. The plan is to head up to Chantilly, pick up all the sod we can load into whatever vehicles we have, and head back to DC where we’ll divvy it up and load up bike trailers.

I will be emailing volunteers with suggested locations if we end up with more fixed-location parks. As of now, it makes sense for volunteers to show up ready to travel (bicycle would be best) and to help us set-up and staff our initial mobile parks until we have confirmation from fixed-location parks.

Volunteers, please bring:

• Bicycles, bicycle trailer or rolling cart  (for sod and park supplies)
• Gloves
• Quarters
• Park activities (coloring books, portable boomboxes, chalk, etc.)
• Citronella (or something for the bugs)
• Snacks / drinks
• Portable lawn equipment (like folding chairs or tables)
• Something to wear if it rains (unlikely but still possible)

We’ll be live-tweeting our activities with @parkingdaydc and also using the National Park(ing) Day Map when we take over a parking spot. Good luck to all!

DC parks are going guerrilla this year which means mobile and non-permitted fixed-location parks. The spirit of national Park(ing) Day has always been one of DIY creative dissent mixed with spectacle and DC’s day Park(ing) Day will certainly reflect that.

What this means for park organizers

Plan for mobile parks. Metered parking spots are ideally sized for mini-parks which can “pop-up” by placing sod on tarps, the entire thing being easily rolled-up for quick transport. Bike cargo trailers would do the trick for carrying materials and supplies. Assuming you chose to use a metered spot, you must feed the meter (like you’re a car) and be aware that DC parking attendants might issue you a series of warnings. On the third warning it is best to pick up and move to another spot.

Park location check-in can be done on the National web site and by tweeting #parkingdaydc on Twiter.

A morning sod-collection run will take place on Friday. Any and all volunteers or organizers are free to join with their own vehicles; a trunk-full is usually enough for a decently sized park.

I’ll soon be posting intended starting locations for parks as they filter in. We’re getting close to the big day and I’m looking forward to everyone’s efforts!

Park(ing) Day planning continues and we’re still looking for Volunteers and Organizers to help scout the city for locations and dream up ideas for park activities once we solidify plans.

For potential park Organizers, don’t be afraid to get out there and walk around your neighborhood or place of business and see where a park might be installed. I’ve been telling people to consider areas along streets, near intersections, areas of concrete, near foot traffic, parking outside businesses, and within island medians. The original idea still applies; the making of parking spots into green space, however other “invisible” space that has historically been allotted for car culture is also up for grabs (concrete or “dead” medians, raised islands, and street termination points).

For Volunteers, when you register we’ll be routing you to Organizers who you can meet and work out your plans for the day. Typical Volunteer work includes being on-site in the morning for set up, hanging out in the park during the day, making art, playing music or games, or helping restore the space to its original condition when Park(ing) Day comes to an end. Volunteers need not be present the entire day but having a few people to count on will really help out the Organizers.

We’re looking forward to next steps and many more registrations!

August is upon us and the DC planning committee is excited to be dusting off their shovels and clipboards as we begin preparations for what will be DC’s second year participating in the national phenomenon known as Park(ing) Day. For anyone new to the event, Park(ing) Day happens all over the world, this year on September 17th, and involves the conversion of under-utilized public space for the purpose of setting up a temporary parks. Through this simple but transformative act, public space is re-contextualized and new ways of seeing are allowed to blossom alongside plants, flowers and trees in some cases.

This year we’re pleased to welcome a renewed partnership with ReadysetDC, the District’s self-appointed communicator of all things creative, and looking to make larger footprint than last year because of it. Last year our efforts were focused on 14th and S outside of the then nascent Garden District; this year we’re planning several locations throughout the district. Let us know if you’d like to plan your own park and we’ll help out with the details. Likewise, if you’d like to participate by joining us on Park(ing) Day, which is September 17th, let us know that as well by using the registration form.

We sincerely hope you’ll help us spread the message of the value found in and the continued need for green, public space within DC by either participating or telling everyone you know about Park(ing) Day 2010.

Sincerely,

Brandon

Friday, September 18th will be Washington, DC’s first year participating in the international event PARK(ing) Day, thanks to local garden shop Garden District. The original plan was to turn 4 on-street parking spaces into parks for the day around the city. However, complications with obtaining permits made this plan impossible. Garden District is in the process of moving to a new location across from it’s current outpost at 14th and S Street NW. The location was previously an auto shop and includes a large surface parking lot.

The PARK(ing) Day DC team will convert a portion of this lot into a park for the day, between the hours of 11AM and 9PM. This park will be larger than the original 4 spaces combined. Please come by and enjoy the green space with your friends or pet! Listen to music, play games, read a book and enjoy some refreshments.

Park(ing) Day was originally created by Rebar, a San Francisco art and design collective. It is being organized in Washington, DC by ReadysetDC and F1rst-n-R.

About Park(ing) Day and Rebar
Originally created by Rebar, San Francisco art and design collective, PARK(ing) Day is an annual, one-day, global event where artists, activists, and citizens collaborate to temporarily transform metered parking spots into “PARK(ing)” spaces: temporary public parks. More info at www.parkingday.org and www.rebargroup.org.

About ReadysetDC
ReadysetDC is a blog + collection of creative projects aimed at creating awareness of everything amazing in DC, including urban development, culture + art. We seek to be a source of inspiration + a spark for discussion. More info at www.ReadysetDC.com.

About F1RSTNR
F1rst-n-R is the web site of Brandon Schmittling and exists to centralize his activity in Washington, DC and specifically the up-and-coming area known as Bloomingdale. More info at www.F1rstnR.com.

About Garden District
Garden District is an urban garden center with two shops located minutes to each other providing quality plants, pottery and solutions.  We can help you enhance your landscape, start your herb garden or find the right plant for your home or office. More info at http://www.gardendistrict-dc.com.

Contact
Justin Young
jyoun88@mac.com
240-997-6570

UPDATE: Due to difficulties obtaining permits, PARK(ing) Day DC will occur at ONE GIANT location: Garden District’s future home at 14th & S Street NW.  More info here.

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In order for Park(ing) Day DC to be successful, we need as many people as possible to pitch in. If you can help out for part of the day or all day on Friday, September 18th, please register. We get in touch with you soon afterwards. To stay in the loop, keep coming here, or follow us on Twitter!

Check out the video from Park(ing) Day NYC on StreetFilms after the jump…

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