Image via City of Cambridge

 

Cambridge is known as one of the most densely populated cities in the entire country. Piling people on top of people isn’t necessarily bad for the neighborhood. In fact, one could argue it adds to the city’s charm. But one negative consequence of trying to pack residents into a small urban area is that is that space that might typically be used for the public to enjoy is utilized to provide for housing and other city services. But for one day out of the year, Cambridge gets the better of its population statistic by transforming street parking spaces into parklets.

The third annual PARK(ing) Day will kick off across the Charles River on Friday, September 19, at which point 46 parking spots will transform into either a miniature public park or some other engaging area with as much activities as the condensed dimensions will allow.

PARK(ing) Day is actually an international event that’s been taking place every year since 2005, but 2014 marks Cambridge’s third foray into the game. It traces its roots back to San Francisco where art and design studio Rebar converted the first parking space into a parklet. Since then, the movement has spread to 160 cities around the globe.

Image via Rebar

“Urban inhabitants worldwide recognize the need for new approaches to making cities,” said Rebar principal Matthew Passmore in a statement. “The planning strategies that have led to traffic congestion, pollution and poor health in cities everywhere do not reflect contemporary values, nor are they sustainable. PARK(ing) Day raises these issues and demonstrates that even temporary projects can improve the character and quality of the city.”

BostInno reached out to Jefferson Smith, Cambridge Mayor David Maher’s chief of staff, to find out what this means for Cambridge and its residents – the impact more parks will have even if it’s just a single day out of the year – but he was not immediately available to comment.

To find out what’s going in each of the 46 parking spaces and where exactly they’ll be, check out the following list below courtesy of the City of Cambridge or the interactive map also created by Cambridge.

Harvard Square

  1. Harvard University, Office for Sustainability: Contemplating Your Impact
  2. Longfellow House, Washington’s Headquarters NHS: Longfellow’s Garden
  3. Metro Pedal Power: Local Human Based Transportation for our Cities
  4. MassRides: Commuting Sustainably
  5. Cambridge Police Department: Meet the new bomb dogs!

Central Square

  1. The Door Store: Yard Games!
  2. Cambridge Elections Commission: Voter Registration
  3. Fletcher Maynard Academy: Peace Couch
  4. Cambridge Energy Alliance: Energy Efficiency Fun
  5. Community Development Department, Housing Division: Micro House
  6. Green Cambridge: Reduce Our Carbon Footprint
  7. City of Cambridge Mayor’s Office: Food Pantry Donation
  8. MassBike: Bike Parking and Art
  9. Boston Cyclists Union: A Bike-Friendly Smoothie Cafe
  10. Central Square Business Association: The Central Square Cultural District Putt Putt (5 spot course!)
  11. CCTV: NeighborMedia Outdoor Newsroom by CCTV
  12. UMass Lowell: Baby Got Bounce
  13. SHED(x)change + Cambridge Resident’s Alliance: C3 in C2

Upper Broadway (Inman Street to Cambridge Public Library)

  1. MIT Media Lab, Social Computing Research Group: Bike Inlet
  2. Hubway: #HubwayEveryday
  3. Harvard Urban Planning Organization: Studio Park
  4. Cambridge Health Alliance, Department of Family Planning: “Protect your health. Protect the planet.”

Inman Square

  1. Naveo Credit Union: Prize Wheel
  2. Department of Public Works, Recycling Division: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Compost!
  3. Community Development Department, Community Planning: Playful Planning
  4. Community Development Department, Economic Development: Take the Inman Square Survey!

Kendall Square

  1. Community Development Department, Environmental and Transportation Planning: Get with the sustainability game!
  2. Cambridge Bicycle Committee: Decorate a bike and play our bike-packing game!
  3. Charles River Transportation Management Association: Check out the EZRide Shuttle!
  4. Cambridge Pedestrian Committee: Walk This Way
  5. Cambridge Bicycle Committee/Urban AdvenTours: Free Bicycle Safety Tune-ups

Other Locations

  1. Friends of the Tobin: Maria Montessori’s Backyard (Vassal Lane, near the Tobin School)
  2. Cambridge in Motion / Cambridge Public Health Department: Celebrating Healthy Markets and the Men’s Health League (Windsor Street at Main Street)
Image via City of Cambridge
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