On September 19, the international event known as Park(ing) Day will be celebrated in Philadelphia for the seventh consecutive year.

Dozens of interactive parks will appear on city streets as artists, activists, planners, local businesses, and average citizens take over metered parking spots in an effort to promote green and pedestrian-friendly urban spaces.

Contained within 170 square feet, the small size and temporary nature of the parks sets them apart from the ordinary, while the creative use of space by the designers is sure to delight. In past years, these parks have included landscaped meeting areas, cafés, makeshift mini golf courses, and inventive public art displays.

Park(ing) Day was founded by Rebar, a San Francisco art and design studio, in 2005 to raise awareness of the need for more urban open space. Philadelphia celebrated Park(ing) Day for the first time in 2008 with over 25 installations for relaxing, cycling, creating art, education, and socializing.

This year’s event is sponsored by the Philadelphia Center for Architecture with AIA Philadelphia and organized by Zimmerman Architecture and Planning Studio, in partnership with DVRPC.

Join us at the Park(ing) Day Party! Visitors of and volunteers from the 2014 Park(ing) Day Philadelphia parklets are encouraged to head over to the Philadelphia Center for Architecture after 5pm for a reception with food and drink in honor of all the impressively creative park designers.

To sign up to host your own parking space, and to gather ideas from photos of former participants’ installations, visit the Park(ing) Day Philadelphia webpage.  To access a printable Google Map of all the parks signed up so far, Click Here.

Park(ing) Day can also be found on Facebook and Twitter@parkingdayphila. Use the #ParkingDayPHL hashtag to see photos of team parks during the event.

9/15/2014