Around the same time we discovered P(Lot), we came across a similar project from the San Francisco based art collective called
Rebar. Rebar is the brains behind PARK(ing) Day, an annual event where public parking lots are transformed into temporary green spaces. Volunteers reclaim the streets by laying down sod, benches and other park amenities for everyone’s enjoyment. As word of the event has spread, other cities are joining in the fun, and making it bigger and better than ever.
The third annual PARK(ing) day created 180 parks in 47 cities worldwide. In addition to the regular transformation of parking spaces, Rebar’s new Parkcycle was seen touring across San Francisco during the 2007 event. Created in collaboration with the sculptor Reuben Margolin, the solar powered Parkcycle is a 7m-long mobile lawn, which has a nice shady tree for lounging under. John Bela (Cofounder of Rebar) says: “the process of rethinking the ways streets are used is an important first step in making permanent changes in our cities to improve the quality of urban human habitat.”
Check out next year’s PARK(ing) Day on September 19, 2008. Or better yet, help start one in your city.
