Images courtesy of Rebar.
The weekend is almost here…what do you have planned?
To start off this weekend there is a unique and different activity happening in downtown Sioux Falls…it is something so different that you might want to check it out.
In 2009 there were over 700 installations in more than 140 cities in 21 countries and on six continents. Citizens, artists and activists all spent one day collaborating to temporarily transform metered parking spaces into “PARK(ing)” spaces: temporary public places.
And now it's our turn.
The event is called PARK(ing) Day, and on Friday, Sept. 17, the city will be participating in the first one locally! Pedicab of Sioux Falls will be changing a metered parking space on Phillips Ave. and 9th Street into a temporary park.
Originally invented in 2005 by Rebar, a San Francisco-based art and design studio, PARK(ing) Day is a grassroots, “open-source” art project that challenges people to rethink the way streets are used.
“In urban centers around the world, inexpensive curbside parking results in increased traffic, wasted fuel and more pollution,” said Rebar’s Matthew Passmore. “The strategies that generated these conditions are not sustainable, nor do they promote a healthy, vibrant human habitat. PARK(ing) Day is about re-imagining the possibilities of the urban landscape.”
The mission of PARK(ing) Day is to call attention to the need for more urban open space, to generate critical debate around how public space is created and allocated, and to improve the quality of urban human habitat … at least until the meter runs out!
Plan to start your weekend by stopping by PARK(ing) Day Sioux Falls this Friday from 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. And don’t forget to bring your camera!
For more information on PARK(ing) Day, a global map of all participating cities, or how to change a parking space in your community, visit their official website.
