Tag Archives: park(ing) day

Sept. 17 – Happy Park(ing) Day Pittsburgh!

Parking Day picture from Sq. Hill
Image by IheartPGH via Flickr

I have been stuck at home all week – fighting off what I hope will be the first and only cold of the fall season.  I have been catching up on bad tv and blog reading and one of the events that has been receiving much attention in the blogosphere and beyond – it was actually a friend who I saw on the bus last week that first reminded me about Park(ing) Day.

Park(ing) Day is an annual event that is celebrate here in Pittsburgh and other cities around the globe (New York, London, Brisbane, Los Angeles) – where parking spaces are turned into mini parks for the day. Park(ing) day is a chance to see some creative ideas around parks and to think about how we use our public spaces.

Just a few years ago – Oakland had a large, what I thought at the time was – lovely and convenient parking lot right next to the library, museum and the Cathedral of Learning.  But the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy had bigger ideas and the big parking lot has been replaced with Schenley Plaza – which is much more lovely than a parking lot.  It is great to see the plaza and the tent filled with people enjoying the space on sunny afternoons.  Schenley Plaza is just one example of how we can start to re-imagine our public spaces.  Continue reading →

Some Park and Parking History & Friday is Park(ing) Day in PittsburghParking

092107_ParkingDay
Image by JessyeAnne via Flickr

This is a neat event that is another creative way to think about our city, transit and how cars fit into the urban landscape.   It fits well into the conversation we have been having about if you need a car in Pittsburgh on the post about Zipcar.

Last year, I posted about Parking Day 2008 and recieved this interesting comment that I wanted to share – which puts some historical perspective of how cars have fit into Pittsburgh over the past centruy or so.

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.

Park(ing) Day, Friday, September 18, 2009 is being coordinated by Mattress Factory, the Office of Public

Park (ing) day
Image by Steve Rhodes via Flickr

Art and the Community Design Center of Pittsburgh.

More info about Park(ing) Day and some great photos of the parks from last year is available at http://parkingdaypittsburgh.blogspot.com/ Continue reading →

Radio Round Up – September 19, 2008

  • ALCOSAN Open House
    • Saturday, September 20, 2008 9 – 4
    • A one day celebration of the science of sewage
    • tours of the treatment plant, science experiments galore AND photos with Frankie the Fish
  • Park(ing) Day 2008
    • One day event where parking spots are turned into mini parks for the day
    • 18 locations around Pittsburgh – downtown on 4th next to city county building, Carson Street – in front of the Starbucks
  • Wheeling Through History
    • Saturday morning bike tour 9am-Noon
    • 3 different tours
    • $25 includes a bike, $20 if you bring your own bike
  • 2008 Dragon Boat Festival
    • Dragon Boat race, Traditional Asian music and foods, family fun
    • Riverfront Park on the Southside
    • Saturday, September 20, 2008 – 11am -7pm
  • Sundae Market at Schenley Plaza
    • Sunday September 21 & 28 Noon-5pm
    • Flea market, crafts and music at Schenley plaza

PARK(ing) Day – Parking Spots become Parks for a day – Friday, September 19,2008

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