Park(ing) Day in the City of Boston

Happy Friday.  Happy Fall.  Happy Weekend.  Oh, and happy Park(ing) Day.  



PARK(ing) Day is a annual open-source global event where citizens, artists and activists collaborate to temporarily transform metered parking spaces into “PARK(ing)” spaces: temporary public places. The project began in 2005 when Rebar, a San Francisco art and design studio, converted a single metered parking space into a temporary public park in downtown San Francisco.  This first metered space lasted for, well the same amount of time anyone else could have parked their car there, two hours.  

Since 2005, PARK(ing) Day has evolved into a global movement, with organizations and individuals (operating independently of Rebar but following an established set of guidelines) creating new forms of temporary public space in urban contexts around the world.

The mission of PARK(ing) Day is to call attention to the need for more urban open space, to generate critical debate around how public space is created and allocated, and to improve the quality of urban human habitat.

With Boston's recent acquisition of Parklets in neighborhoods around the city, the concept of Park(ing) Day is clearly becoming one that is no longer just a day.  It raises awareness of the need to keep and maintain the open spaces in Urban Centers as well as to focus on the importance of creating new open and outdoor spaces as urban centers continue to expand.  

While were on the subject of keeping and maintaining green space, please check out the Land Conservation and Advocacy Trust and support their mission of aiding communities in their battles to maintain these open spaces.