Park(ing) Day LA: A Traffic Fix
By Will Wright
"Be the Change You Want to See." - Helmi Hisserich, Deputy Mayor of the City of Los Angeles
Streets are for people. On Park[ing] Day LA … Friday, September 19th … anyone who wishes to reclaim an ounce of public space in this ever growing City of ours can participate by reprogramming their parking space into a pocket park for the day.
Any individual, community group, non-profit, think-tank, design firm, neighborhood council, bicycle repair shop, art gallery can participate by simply repurposing the same space where they would otherwise park their car, and instead turn it into pint-sized civic plaza.
Sure, feed the meter, pay fair market value for access to that prized, convenient 180 sq. feet of real estate. Instead of letting your machine occupy it with its bulking mass of iron, leather, oil and tinted windows, reclaim that space for a purpose more personal and yet more public. Reclaim that space for a sense of your own enjoyment and share it with your neighbor. Play a game of chess there, pull up a chair, read a book, plant a tree, grow tomatoes, indulge in a little game of 3 on 3 basketball, paddle tennis, sunbathe, picnic, meditate, recite, recant, flourish, inspire, refresh, reconnect with those around you.
Park[ing] Day LA seeks to: Facilitate open, positive dialogue on the lack of accessible, connected urban open space and they way the public realm is currently used; question basic assumptions about urban open space through offering meaningful and innovative alternatives; and connect artists, designers, and advocates with ways to reclaim the public realm for people.
Park[ing] Day LA, which is experiencing its second year under the leadership and direction of the members of AIA Los Angeles and the broader architecture & design community, as a whole, was originally inspired the ReBar Group out of San Francisco. Their effort aimed to raise awareness about the lack of quality open space in American cities. Their goal was to reprogram the urban surface by reclaiming public streets for people to rest, relax and play.
Park[ing] Day LA isn't about spectacle and excess - "Look at me officer, no car!" - it isn't about conflict with the neighborhood retail, it isn't a smarmy gesture smacking for attention over the fact that the City of Los Angeles doesn't have enough accessible park space. It isn't an attempt to subvert car culture or point fingers at those who are forced to drive because the only affordable housing they can find for their families is so forever far from all the districts where most of our jobs are located.
Instead, what Park[ing] Day LA rises to the occasion to be is a chance to share with your immediate neighbor a vision, a glimpse, a subtle suggestion of...If I didn't need my car so bad, see what else I could do with this space instead. See what community enhancing content I could add to my neighborhood (180 sq. ft. at a time), if for once this space was reprogrammed - if not just often at least often enough - to add character, convenience, delight, significance, connection and identity to my neighborhood. So go ahead, enjoy September 19th.
If you want to convert your parking place into a Park[ing] Space, and if you want that space to be added to the community map that we are creating, let us know its exact location and 'hours of operation' by registering in advance.
At http://www.ParkingDayLA.com/ you will have a chance to download a map of all the parks that are being created throughout the City and share with others by visiting as many of the parks as you can the value of enhancing our sidewalks, surface parking lots, streets and alleyways with activities that will bring you together with your neighbor and your community, and as a consequence enliven our civil minded sensibilities.
Please try to register as soon as possible so we can be sure to add your PARK[ing] space to our map! So far, the following parks are committed: http://www.communitywalk.com/parkingdayla2008 .
(Will Wright is the Director of Government & Public Affairs for the American Institute of Architects/Los Angeles.) ◘
CityWatch
Vol 6 Issue 73
Pub: Sept 9, 2008
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