Blog
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September 17 is PARK(ing) Day Tuesday, August 31, 2010
On September 17, 2010, the Chattanooga community has a unique opportunity to participate in PARK(ing) Day, an annual open-source global event that celebrates public space by temporarily transforming urban parking spaces in creative and innovative ways for the low cost of a few coins in a parking meter.
We’re teaming up with Outdoor Chattanooga this year to host and facilitate PARK(ing) Day. Businesses, organizations, individuals, creatives, and engaged community members are all encouraged to participate and to attend a free, informational meeting this Friday, September 3, from 9-10 AM at CreateHere. Coffee and donuts will be served and all ideas—partial or fully realized—will be welcomed and valued.
PARK(ing) Day began in San Francisco in 2005 when an art and design studio named Rebar transformed a single metered parking space into a temporary public park in a section of the city that was lacking public space. Many other cities have joined in on this annual event since then and September 17 will mark Chattanooga’s third year of participation.
An event like PARK(ing) Day gives us the opportunity to demonstrate how more urban green space would make an indelible impact on the way we live, work, and play in Chattanooga and across the country. We’re one of many cities participating and we get to demonstrate the local flavor, personality, and imagination we have in Chattanooga as it pertains to urban green space.
If you’ve been hanging around here at the blog, you’ll have noticed that less than two weeks ago we hosted City R&D, a summit of forty of Chattanooga’s best and brightest minds that focused on issues of connectivity in the city. One of four primary discussions we had at City R&D was the use of public parking areas to generate interest in the local economy and to build community.
The mission of PARK(ing) Day, as stated on parkingday.org, fits perfectly with this vision: “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.”
To participate in Chattanooga’s PARK(ing) Day or for more information about CreateHere, email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
