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!

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

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

The themes are the same as what we tried to outline on the “About” page earlier this month BUT we’re still accepting your ideas for how to make each park better:

Georgetown

Join us for a civilized game of croquet and horseshoes, as well as ice-cold lemonade. We’ll probably have other sand, grass, or bar games set up, and wouldn’t the day be incomplete without delicious frozen yogurt?

U Street

14th and U is alive with artists and music, so what better way to honor our beloved corridor with a day of Jazz, local musicians,  poetry readings, and possibly cupcakes?

Gallery Place

Step up to our soccer themed park, have a sip of some local coffee, and score a goal in support of the district’s plans for a new soccer stadium.

Adams Morgan

Animals greet you with delicious snacks and implore you to put your mark on the nearby asphalt. Get your picture taken doing an impression of your favorite creature and learn more about animal rights.

Impervious surfaces - mainly artificial structures–such as pavements (roads, sidewalks, driveways and parking lots) that are covered by impenetrable materials such as asphalt, concrete, brick, and stone–and rooftops. Soils compacted by urban development are also highly impervious. (via Wikipedia)

Did you know that 65% of DC’s natural ground cover has been covered over by hard (impervious) surfaces such as roads, parking lots, and buildings?  Impervious surfaces are harmful because they prevent storm water from seeping back into the ground slowly. In a highly impervious area like DC, water flows off of buildings and down streets, eventually making its way to the Anacostia and Potomac rivers, both directly and via the city’s drainage system. Toxins and pollutants such as oil, grease, tailpipe emissions, phosphorus, nitrogren, herbicides, pesticides, and bacteria get picked up along the way and are also deposited in our rivers.

This problem is made even worse because of DC’s antiquated sewage system.  Like other older cities, DC does not have separate systems for storm water runoff and for sewage. Instead, both storm water and sewage travel the same pipes, eventually making their way to sewage treatment facilities. Because of this, even a small storm can overwhelm the system, forcing raw sewage and pollutants from runoff to be purged directly into the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers. This issue is known as Combined Sewage Overflow (CSO). Solving the CSO problem is a long term goal of the District government, but many other things can be done in the meantime to help mitigate the problem:

• Green roofs absorb water that would otherwise make its way into storm drains. Every additional green roof in the District helps reduce pollution in our rivers.
• Redirecting downspouts at residential homes away from storm drains and towards rain gardens and rain barrels.
• Using pervious pavers such as brick or cobblestone instead of asphalt and concrete also helps reduce impervious surfaces.  Many of DC’s sidewalks have been redone in brick, but the vast majority are still concrete block. Virtually all of DC’s roads are still asphalt.
• Increasing green space gives stormwater more opportunity to seep back into the ground. Any land devoted to green space is by definition, pervious.

While Park(ing) Day shows the recreational and livability benefits of adding green space to our streets, it also serves to demonstrate another way we can help clean up our rivers and improve the health of our local environment.