PARK(ing) Day is coming up on Friday, September 19 and the Arlington community is invited to participate. During this event, metered parking spaces around Arlington County will be transformed into small parks and attractions to create a visualization of how public spaces normally reserved for parking can be repurposed. If your organization is looking for a creative way to engage its employees and participate in the local community, then this could be the event for you.
PARK(ing) day began two decades ago when a design studio in San Francisco turned a single parking spot into a temporary park to highlight the need for public space in urban environments. This local project from 2005 has grown over the last twenty years to become the now global PARK(ing) Day which occurs annually in communities all over the world on the third Friday of September. The event encourages us to rethink how our streets and sidewalks serve us, especially in a city setting.
In Arlington County, organizations are invited to participate in PARK(ing) Day and continue the tradition by converting parking spots into fun, creative, and social spaces to engage the community.
To reserve a design space for PARK(ing) Day, your organization will need to complete the application forms included in the county's Parking Day Guidelines by August 31. Additionally, you will be required to pay a fee for the PARK(ing) day permit, as well as the buffer zone traffic barrels. The permit is $43 per site, and traffic barrels are $6.36 each or $31.80 total for the minimum requirement of five.
Once you have an idea of your design space, the forms take only a few minutes to complete and submit via email. Upon submission and approval of the forms, Arlington County will return a payment invoice. When payment for the invoice is received, a PARK(ing) Day permit will be sent through email and you’re ready to begin planning to bring your design space to life.
After all the design spaces are determined along with their locations, Arlington County will release a list of PARK(ing) Day sites along with a map of where they are located. Consider utilizing public transportation or Capital Bikeshare as a sustainable means of transportation to engage with the spaces, in theme with how the event challenges us to look at street spaces as more than just parking. For a more detailed view of your transportation options, you can check out ATP’s Urban Village Quick Glance guides.
First things first, you’ll have to identify a space to transform. Requirements:
By choosing to host a design space on PARK(ing) Day, your organization can lead the conversation on public space, creative community engagement, and sustainability. Whether you’d like to follow in the footsteps of the original event and create a park in the street or showcase your team’s creativity with a different kind of display, PARK(ing) Day is a great opportunity to show up for your community and join in on a decades-old tradition that transforms ordinary parking spaces into extraordinary attractions.
While PARK(ing) Day reminds us of how we can incorporate community green spaces and other sustainable locations into Arlington County, the event is only for one day out of the year. ATP can help your organization implement sustainable transportation programs that will benefit your employees and community for years to come. Consider downloading our sustainable mobility guide, the Understanding the Commute Toolkit, to learn how you can support sustainable commutes and continue to be a leader in our community beyond PARK(ing) Day.
Whether you’re planning to participate with a space of your own or simply wish to view the attractions, ATP hopes you will enjoy PARK(ing) Day on September 19.
Photo Credit: Sam Kittner/kittner.com for Arlington Transportation Partners