Drivers might have a hard time finding a parking spot in certain areas of the city on Friday, but they will be pleasantly surprised when they realize those spots have been taken over by green grass and lawn chairs.
As part of PARK(ing) Day, an international event where groups transform places usually reserved for vehicles into vibrant mini-landscapes, participants will be throwing down sod and seats, and start playing tunes as if they were relaxing and enjoying a day in the park.
“They put down plants and chairs and games, and people come and sit and eat their lunch outside and meet and chat,” said Jackie Douglas, executive director of the LivableStreets Alliance.
LivableStreets first introduced the idea to the East Coast in 2008, but PARK(ing) Day started its roots in San Francisco before it spread to other cities.
Since its debut in the Hub, the initiative has grown faster than the grass they put down, sprouting from just a handful of mini-parks the first year to more than 24 pre-registered parks for tomorrow’s city-wide celebration.
“What’s cool about watching it grow, is they could be popping up everywhere. By starting it and organizing them and coordinating them, it has really taken off,” said Douglas.
According to Douglas, there are three main objectives of the annual project; creating a temporary public space that’s fun and enjoyable, getting people to rethink urban space and what it means, and calling attention to the need to transform the city’s public space for better uses while enhancing the quality of life.
Douglas said the first year they featured the event they turned one concrete parking space into a grassy hangout in front of City Hall.
Douglas said it was an instant success.
“It went great,” she said.
On Friday, all 24-parks will be listed on the LivableStreets website to help guide residents to various events going on at the impromptu lawns.
“We have had spots with anything from music, to performances, to bike mechanics to an art display,” said Douglas. “There was a cool spot with hula-hoopers, too.”
The idea has even spread outside the Hub, reaching both Brookline and Cambridge.
A map for the Cambridge mini-parks will be posted on the city’s website.
Mayor Henrietta Davis will participate in Cambridge’s PARK(ing) Day by transforming one of the 18 parking spaces into an outdoor water bar, serving Cambridge Tap Water to passers-by.
On Thursday night, representatives from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) and LivableStreets Alliance scheduled a panel discussion about PARK(ing) Day, how it all started and how cities can embrace the concept in the future by raising awareness about the benefits of urban space and social gathering sites.
