September 18 is Park(ing) Day DC—Does That Mean Anything to You?
It probably shouldn't at this point. "Park(ing) Day" has never been done before in D.C., and the pun's a little muddled and confusing. But here's the gist: People turn parking spaces into mini parks, which end up looking a little something like this. New York City and San Francisco residents have tested out the park(ing) day concept before.
You may have a few questions at this point: Why would anyone do that? Am I going to have trouble parking that day? And where can I see these supposed parks in parking spaces?
See the following interview with organizers Brandon Schmittling and Justin Young for responses:
What is the great symbolic point of Park(ing) Day DC—since clearly there's got to be one, right?
Right! "The entire day should be seen as an exercise," says Schmittling. "It's really an experiment to get people thinking about what is the sidewalk? What is the street? And what lies beneath? And what are the different ways we can use it...I think this coupled with Car Free Day might remind people–hey I just don't have to be on the sidewalk, I can be in the street. Well, it's mostly experimental—how 'bout that?"
(Editor's note: I couldn't quite visualize what I was supposed to be doing in the street other than walking across it quickly–as not to be hit by a car–or actually driving in a car. But then I remembered this New York magazine article about Times Square in New York, which has expanded pedestrian space and created broader sidewalks. Maybe this kind of thing is what Park(ing) Day DC is trying to get at?)So am I going to be able to park that day?
Yes. Organizers have applied for four parking space permits. That's all.
Where will the parks (within parking spaces) be located?
So this is really happening, huh?
Maybe. The permits haven't actually been approved yet, say Young and Schmittling.
DDOT is reviewing the concept, which is obviously unprecedented here. "When I showed them the plans that we had, they had concerns about cars not seeing the parking space. And perhaps someone trying to park in the space next to people and hitting people." Organizers have turned in plans, which are currently being reviewed by D.C. officials. The event's supposed to happen a week from tomorrow, so obviously the clock's ticking.
Image by JessyeAnne, Flickr Creative Commons
Image from Parking Day DC's website.
9:39 pm
Hmmm... that quote should have been "And what lies between?", since we're talking about what's between the road and the sidewalk. Also, the event is not so much "tested" as it is a yearly national phenomenon for many cities, and getting better all the time. Thanks!
11:30 pm
Ruth: The idea is to encourage people to think about the way we allocate public space. In Georgetown on a weekend, or Farragut West at rush hour, or U Street at night, those sidewalks are really crowded. In 160 square feet you might have 50-100 people.
But immediately adjacent to that, you might have a patch of 160 square feet occupied by just a single car, and it's empty. It probably brought only 1 or 2 people to the area. And it might stay there for hours or even a whole week (or, in Georgetown or in the winter, months).
People talk about how there isn't enough green space in many neighborhoods, to just sit on a bench and eat lunch, for example. The idea of Park(ing) Day is to demonstrate other ways people could enjoy even just one of those 160 square foot rectangles. How exactly did we end up deciding that this amount of space is for parking and that amount for sidewalks or plazas? Why not a little more or less?
12:22 pm
Two great points Brandon and David!
Ruth, nice try but I had to make a few clarifications:
http://readysetdc.com/2009/09/11/september-18-is-parking-day-dc-—-does-that-mean-anything-to-you-yay/