Category Archives for public park

PARK(ING) DAY 2015 – OBSERVED

Oculus PARK(ing) Day 2015
HKS PARK(ing) Day 2015
ZGF PARK(ing) Day 2015
DPR PARK(ing) Day 2015

This year I participated in PARK(ing) Day by visiting as many sites as I could while grabbing coffee with a friend. Has anyone planned a bike tour for these? There were so many that popped-up around DC!

Best advice for building your PARK(ing) Day park:

Plan in advance. These mini parks take a lot of creative thinking and material gathering so it’s best to start early.

See more about PARK(ing) Day here.

PARK(ING) DAY – THE REAL DEAL 2014

The Architecture firm that I work for, ZGF, participated in PARK(ing) Day this year. Here are some photos from our ‘Perspective Park’ and my lessons learned from participating in PARK(ing) Day:

  1. It is fun!
  2. DDOT has created event guidelines for DC. Register under your company and follow the event guideline instructions or else your park may not end up on the DC PARK(ing) Day map. (That is what happened to us…sad face.)
  3. Permits are between $50 and $80.
  4. Citizens in action – people will call the cops if you are painting a parking space…even with chalk paint. Luckily cops are aware that chalk paint washes away and that PARK(ing) Day is an awesome event!!
  5. It qualifies for the 1% Program! If your company is a member you can put time towards this.
  6. Get ready for 2015 starting…now!

PARK(ING) DAY – CREATE A PUBLIC PARK FOR A DAY

Landscape architecture firm Oculus’ Park(ing) Day installation in DC. Photo by Aimee Custis on Flickr.
Smart Growth America park. Photo by Arlene Fetizanan.
Casey Trees park. Photo from StreetsBlog USA

“PARK(ing) Day is an annual worldwide event where artists, designers and citizens transform metered parking spots into temporary public parks.”

The annual PARK(ing) Day is just one month away, on Friday, September 19th, 2014. It is easy to participate. First, sign up for a permit through DDOT. Then follow the PARK(ing) Day manual. You can create a park for just an hour, a few hours, or the entire day. DC’s Office of Planning participated last year along with environmental groups and design firms. The project started in San Francisco in 2005 by Rebar and has grown internationally. Don’t forget to add your park to the 2014 map!

Read articles about PARK(ing) Day 2013 in the Washington Post and Greater Greater Washington. Register  for your DC permit. See the manual to create your park.