Thanks to both BikePGH and PopCity media for writing about Park(ing) Day. Friday is Park(ing) Day in Pittsburgh. Park(ing) day is a one day event where ordinary parking spots are turned into pop-up parks for the day. The event started in San Francisco in 2005 and has become an annual event. Last year there were over 200 Parks created on Park(ing) day. I love this idea – definitely a creative way to get the community to think about how we are using our cities.
Here is a list of Pittsburgh Park(ing) Day locations:
- ARL Wildlife – Copeland Street in front of Starbucks, Shadyside
- Pashek Associates – 619 E. Ohio Street, North Side
- REI – S. 27th Street in front of REI, South Side Works
- Greater Pgh Arts Council – 7th Avenue near Penn Ave., Downtown
- The Pillow Project – Forbes Avenue in front of Coffee Tree Rosters, Squirrel Hill
- Riverlife, Mon Wharf Park – William Penn Way near 6th Ave, Downtown
- Allegheny Commons Initiative – Cedar Ave (N. & E. Ohio Street) at the Farmers market, North Side
- Venture Outdoors – East Ohio Street, North Side
- Mattress Factory – East Ohio Street, North Side
- Children’s Museum – East Ohio Street, North Side
- Manchester Craftsman Guild – East Ohio Street, North Side
- Chatham University – Fobes Avenue/ Murray Ave. in front of Carnegie Library, Squirrel Hill
- Sean Derry – Craig Street, Oakland
- PA Resources Council – 1400 E. Carson Street in front of Starbucks, South Side
- Mayor Luke Ravenstahl – 4th Avenue Next to City County Building, Downtown
- City Councilman Patrick Dowd – 4th Avenue Next to City County Building, Downtown
- Land Trust Alliance – 10th Street and Penn Avenue Parking Lot, Downtown
- Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy – Schenley Plaza, Oakland
Both of these websites have tons of info and how to guides for putting the park back in parking space.
Parking Day Website – http://www.parkingday.org
Pittsburgh Parking Day Website – http://pghparkingday.wordpress.com/
Photo: The Berger Partnership, PS
I have a nineteenth century "History of Pittsburg" which lists the word "parking" in the index. I thought this odd as I couldn't imagine someone parking a carriage. When I looked it up, the word meant the placing and creating of parks in the city which was not done until after the Civil War.