An annual experiment in reclaiming metered parking spaces

PARK(ing) Day is an annual daylong global event where citizens, artists and activists collaborate to temporarily transform metered parking spaces into “PARK(ing)” spaces: temporary public places. The project began in 2005 when Rebar converted a single metered parking space into a temporary public park in an area of San Francisco that is underserved by public open space.

A quintessentially “open source” project, PARK(ing) Day has since been adapted and remixed to address a variety of social issues in diverse urban contexts around the world. Over the years, PARK(ing) Day has expanded to include a broad range of interventions well beyond the basic “tree-bench-sod” park typology first modeled by Rebar. Participants have built interventions ranging from free health clinics, urban farming and ecology demonstrations, political seminars, art installations, free bike repair shops and even a wedding ceremony!

PARK(ing) Day has effectively re-valued the metered parking space as an important part of the commons – a site for generosity, expression, socializing and play. And although temporary, PARK(ing) Day has inspired direct participation in the civic processes that permanently alter the urban landscape.

PARK(ing) Day occurs annually on the third Friday in September, in hundreds of cities around the globe.

PARK(ing) Day, a Rebar project, has received support over the years from a number of excellent organizations, including: The Trust for Public Land, The Black Rock Arts Foundation, LEF Foundation and Public Architecture.