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Registration is now Open! Register to Host a Park(ing) Spot!

We are so excited to announce that Park(ing) Spot hosts can now register online for Park(ing) Day NYC 2010!

Our website is currently undergoing some updates but in the mean time you can register to host a Park(ing) Spot here. As always you’ll need to select your spot and gather some information before registering, so check out the How-To Guide! Also, the Department of Transportation has an online database of parking regulations for New York City so you can find out the parking rules at your spot here.

We hope that past Park(ing) Spot hosts will join us again this year. Your amazing creativity and hard work makes this event happen year after year. And if you know of other organizations or individuals who would be interested in hosting a Park(ing) Spot please send them our way!

If you have any questions or need some inspiration for your Park(ing) Spot please contact us at info@parkingdaynyc.org

A word from the Park(ing) Day NYC Fellow

By Abenson on July 19th, 2010. Filed under: Uncategorized

Hi Park(ing) Day Enthusiasts,

I’m Alyssa, the Park(ing) Day NYC Fellow. What’s a Park(ing) Day NYC Fellow you ask? I’m here to help plan, coordinate and promote Park(ing) Day NYC. I’m also here to answer any questions you may have about Park(ing) Day and how to go about creating your own Park(ing) Spot this September. You can always reach me at alyssa@transalt.org.

And I’d like to share with you a bit about why I became involved in Park(ing) Day NYC and how I envision the streets of New York can be transformed for our communities.

———-

When I think of all the possible uses for 120 sq feet of public space on my block, my mind fills with ideas. I begin to imagine the lush community garden that could flourish there with ripe tomatoes and the sweet smell of basil. Or I think of having a miniature version of Socrates Sculpture Park right outside my front door, with gorgeous artwork that softens the harsh concrete landscape all around. Or a smaller version of the Highline with oversized lawn chairs to relax in, chatting with my neighbors after work. Or maybe the kids down the street who are always bursting the hydrant open for a refreshing dip in the hot Brooklyn summer could have a small wading pool to play in.

But everyday there is a only a car sitting there, only moving on street cleaning days and then returning a few hours later. That same space could become parking for something else like the bicycles that jut out on all sides from the posts near the subway station. One parking spot can park at least 10-15 bicycles. One parking spot could allow children to play safely. One parking spot could showcase local art. One parking spot could grow enough food for a family. One parking spot could enrich the lives of an entire community. 8’ by 15’ is a lot of public space in New York City, what will you create in a Park(ing) spot?

- Alyssa

Park(ing) Day NYC Fellow and Bushwick, Brooklyn Resident

Looking Forward to Park(ing) Day September 17th 2010!

By Abenson on July 12th, 2010. Filed under: Announcements, Park(ing) Day Updates

Here at Transportation Alternatives we’re getting very excited for Park(ing) Day NYC 2010! Mark your calendars for Friday September 17th, 2010.

In the coming weeks the website will be up to date and registration will be live. As in years past, Park(ing) Day NYC aims to transform parking spaces into people-friendly public spaces supporting everything from playgrounds to community meeting places, urban gardens to small sculpture parks, performance stages to relaxing respites. Park(ing) Day NYC is an opportunity for community advocates, environmentalists, artists and NYC residents to re-create our urban landscape and reinvent public street space.

In the coming weeks we will be posting interviews with past Park(ing) Day NYC participants about their Park(ing) Day experiences and their ideas on public space in New York. We’ll also talk to other Park(ing) Day cities about how this event has changed their public discourse on urban space. Have an idea for a blog post? Let us know at alyssa@transalt.org.

To 2010, and thank you once again!

By jday on November 24th, 2009. Filed under: Uncategorized

Organizers, designers and street-reclaimers: you are amazing! Thank you once again for converting boring parking spots into vibrant public spaces and for making Park(ing) Day NYC a tremendous success for the third year in a row. Fifty-one park(ing) spots lined city streets throughout the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn and Manhattan, inviting passers-by in to make a wish on a wishing tree, lie on pillows in Peace Park and envision how public spaces could be better allocated to people, not cars.

Park(ing) Day NYC will happen again in 2010! Check the Park(ing) Day NYC website in May for announcements about the September event and for information on how to register and plan your space. In the meantime, if you want to brainstorm ideas for a 2010 park(ing) space, check out the How-To section on the website and the Homepage for hundreds of images and a StreetsFilm video.

While the official (Park)ing Day NYC event does not occur in  the winter, street reclamation still can! To stay up to date on Transportation Alternatives events and actions, sign-up for the StreetBeat.

See you in 2010!

POP.Park 2009

By jday on November 20th, 2009. Filed under: News Tags: , ,

In 2009, Transportation Alternatives hosted a “POP.Park” competition. A full description of the competition is below.

Samina Iqbal set up her design, Hex Pack Patio, on Park(ing) Day 2009 at St. Marks and 1st Avenue.

POP.Park Competition

  • Call for Submissions
  • Purpose
  • Awards and POPular Voting
  • Judging Criteria
  • Important Dates
  • Submission Requirements
  • Submit your POP.Park
  • Notifications
  • Eligibility
  • Ownership and Copyright

Call for Submissions

In celebration of Park(ing) Day 2009, Transportation Alternatives (T.A.) is hosting a new park(ing) spot competition. We’re bringing Park(ing) Day out of the box by challenging creative types to design a portable and affordable pre-fabricated POP.Park that people can use to reclaim public space each and everyday of the year. POP.Parks will be public spaces produced from readily available, reclaimed or post-consumer recycled materials that will emerge from a regular, cardboard box. POP.Park competition finalists will be invited to construct their prototype on Park(ing) Day 2009 and entries will be judged by POPular text-message voting. The winners will be announced at T.A.’s annual REDUX event and the winning POP.Park prototype will be fabricated and sold on the T.A. website.

POP.Park prototypes should create a relaxing, safe and visually compelling environment for people. POP.Parks must provide physical delineation from traffic and be contextual to the city street environment. Physically, POP.Parks must fold into a box (or reusable bag or tote) that one person can carry while walking or riding public transportation. When assembled, POP.Parks should be no larger than 8′x15′ - the size of a regular car parking spot. The cost of building a POP.Park must not exceed $20.00.

POP.Parks should be easy and fun to reconstruct and recreate over and over again on a neighborhood street. What’s in the box should be the structure - but the instructions can call on the creativity of the user to incorporate other commonly available materials or furniture items. For example, if you weave old socks into a mat for people to sit on in your POP.Park, you don’t necessarily need to include the old socks or the old sock mat in your POP.Park box - rather, you can include “old sock mat” instructions. That said, if you’re asking people to make a mat out of old, stinky socks, it better be an awesome mat and have excellent and fun directions.

Purpose

It’s estimated that 80% of New York City’s public space is made up of our streets and sidewalks. With less than half of New Yorkers owning cars, it only makes sense that these streets are allocated for the maximum benefit of the public. That is, more space for people and less space for cars.

For the past two years, Park(ing) Day Park Builders proved that this shift can happen one 8′x15′ parking spot at time. Answering the age old call, “Whose Streets? Our Streets!”, the POP.Park Competition will transform Park(ing) Day NYC from a once-a-year act of reclamation to an everyday statement. The winning submission — transportable, affordable and easy to use–will add the immediate potential of public space to every block, every day of the year.

Awards and POPular Voting

To facilitate the reclamation of street space for people all year long, the winning prototype will be fabricated and available for sale in T.A.’s online giftshop.

Transportation Alternatives will judge the submissions to arrive at a list of finalists. In addition, final submissions will be judged by some of the best/worst critics in the world: New Yorkers. On DATE, passers-by will send in their POPular vote via text-message.

Judging Criteria

  • Accessibility (ease for people of all ages, sizes, and genders to enter and use the space)
  • Ease of Assembly, Adaptability and Re-creation (ease of “pop-up” installation, re-packaging, and ability for people to find necessary materials to make the structure if they are not included)
  • Connectivity (the space welcomes people in and relates to the human scale)
  • Comfort (once you’re there, do you want to stay)
  • Safety (space is clearly demarcated from traffic)
  • Cost (can the item be re-produced for $20.00 or less)

Important Dates

  • Wednesday July 22, 5pm Eastern Standard Time (EST): Call for Submissions Released.
  • Tuesday September 1, Submission Deadline: Transportation Alternatives will acquire necessary permits for spaces. For this reason, submissions can not be accepted after this date.
  • Friday September 18, Park(ing) Day: POP.Park prototype installation (pop it up!)
  • Friday September 18, All Day: Park(ing) Day! Spaces throughout the city
  • Date TBD: Park(ing) Day REDUX

Submission Requirements

  • Fits into an easily transportable box that one person can carry, walk with, bike with, take on public transportation, and store easily inside a NYC apartment.
  • Is not larger than an 8×15 foot parking space when fully installed. The bigger, the better.
  • Is transparent, easily accessible, and visible to the public (For example, a 4-walled, all enclosed tent will not be accepted).
  • Demarcates the space from traffic and clearly occupies the space.
  • Attracts people to the space.
  • Is free of electrical or utility hook-ups.
  • Costs less than $20.00 to produce (e.g. excluding labor).
  • Has been mocked-up and tested.

Submit your POP.Park

  • Download and complete an application
  • Send-it in
    • Email submissions to POPPark@parkingdaynyc.org by September 1, 2009. Subject: Last Name_First Name_Date
    • Include:
      1. Completed Submission Form
      2. Five (5) images of a constructed POP.Park prototype (JPG files under 500kb):
        • The POP.Park storage box
        • The POP.Park storage box next to a person (for scale)
        • Storage box and unassembled POP.Park (outside of box)
        • Photo of POP.Park prototype I
        • Photo of POP.Park prototype II
      3. Materials list, including what was used, where it can be purchased
      4. Materials budget - must total less than $20
  • Entries can be submitted by individuals or by team/partners

Notification

All participants will be notified of their running in the competition by September 9, 2009. Finalists will be invited to “pop-up” their prototypes on Park(ing) Day 2009 (September 18th) and will be required to inhabit their POP.Park while POPular voting goes on throughout the day.

Eligibility

Everyone–except for Transportation Alternatives’ and The Open Planning Project’s terrific staff, Board of Directors and Advisory Council Members–are welcome and encouraged to participate.

Ownership and Copyright

All materials, irrespective of format, produced in conjunction with and/or submission to the POP.Park Competition become the sole property of Transportation Alternatives. To this end, said materials may be retained by Transportation Alternatives for archival purposes, exhibition, publication, and promotion. Each contestant will retain full copyright of all materials to the greatest extent of the law unless otherwise assigned.

FixCity.org launches! & Park(ing) Day NYC Re-Cap

By jday on October 1st, 2009. Filed under: Announcements, News, Park(ing) Day Updates Tags: , , ,

Fixcity.org is amazing! It is a pro-active approach to all those frustrating moments when you find yourself standing on the street, muttering where the #$% is a bike rack! Now you can request racks for all those locations.

Here’s a recap of the day told to us by spot organizer Lacey Tauber and photo by Dan Latorre:

The Open Planning Project, the TA Brooklyn Committee, and local community advocacy group NAG (Neighbors Allied for Good Growth) teamed up on Park(ing) Day to present a new website, FixCity.org Bike Racks. FixCity.org is an online platform communities can use to map desired bike rack locations. The pilot neighborhood is Greenpoint-Williamsburg so we set up our Park(ing) Space at Bedford and North 7th Street, right by the Bedford Avenue L train. Using a solar-powered laptop charger borrowed from our friends at Solar One, we premiered the site to passersby who used the interactive mapping tool to request new bike rack locations in the neighborhood. The goal of the site is to ultimately present 300 new, fully vetted bike rack orders to the Department of Transportation. If this pilot project is successful, the tool can be used citywide!

In addition to promoting FixCity, we also gave “bike therapy,” handing out TA’s Biking Rules guide, and promoting the upcoming Biking Rules PSA Festival!

Check out more photos from the hosts’ Flickr accounts:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/neotint/3933431672/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/51452761@N00/sets/72157622285501143/

No Longer Empty - Park(ing) Day Video

By jday on September 28th, 2009. Filed under: Uncategorized

Wondering if there is a space in NYC where you can build Lego models, watch live painting and performance art, and sit and relax beneath the Highline? This space can exist, and did for one day - Park(ing) Day – thanks to No Longer Empty, an arts organization utilizing non-traditional places for presenting visual and performance art.

Check out the video documenting their day engaging passers-by of all ages and turning a boring parking spot into a lively interactive art space -

Hen Park - POP.Park runner-up debuts with the Community Gardens of Brooklyn park(ing) spot

By jday on September 23rd, 2009. Filed under: Uncategorized
Anna Peccianti, organizer of the Community Gardens of Brooklyn park(ing) spot, shared her experience experimenting with the installation of Hen Park, the runner up POP.Park entry, submitted by Verzone Woods Architectes in Switzerland (pictured below).
Hen Park’s goals focused on nourishment, recycling, playing and interacting with the environment. The creators wrote: “Hen Park encourages NY residents to leave a space in their heart and in their designer handbags for the soft, fluffy and productive…chicken. Chihuahua, step aside, a loyal companion, the chicken can provide up to 300 eggs a year on a minimal maintenance cost of just pennies.” Hen Park brought attention to food security issues in NYC and also created an engaging public park.
Anna describes her experience “popping-up” Hen Park in an email -
The three people featured in the photo below are Anusha Venkataraman, Jackie Bejma and Janice Moynihan.
Unfortunately, the mosquito net I purchased was very fine and had no large holes for the strong wind to go through. Hence, things look a little caddywompus. = )
A lot of people stopped and asked if they could buy the eggs. They thought we were selling them. A few Pratt students came out to see what was going on but most of the people who stopped by were community residents (including councilwoman Leticia James) who had lived in Clinton Hill there whole lives. We had some really wonderful conversations about food security and the need to provide fresh and healthy foods to underserved communities in Brooklyn.
A lot of people agreed that having hens to produce eggs would be a good idea (because of cost and east of maintenance) and were amazed that they could live off of every day food scraps.
We showed everyone photos of the Swiss project and talked a lot about the goals of Park(ing) Day. A few people were upset that we took up a parking space but most people just walked by with furrowed brows and tentatively came over to speak with us.
Many people asked if there were other gardens in the city and how they could become more involved and we were happy to give them more information. We were very pleased to have initiated important conversations with community members because of the space. And that was the point, right?
Anna -

And what a day! Park(ing) Day 2009-UPDATE!

By Lindsey Lusher Shute on September 20th, 2009. Filed under: News

Park(ing) Day NYC 2009 was fun, light, playful and still the best pro-public space rally of the year!

In the coming days, we’ll be inviting park organizers to share their experiences, but until then we hope the following media will hold you:

NY1’s TV news coverage

New York Times Dot Earth Blog

New York Daily News

The Village Voice’s Runnin’ Scared blog

The Lo-Down

Columbia Spectator

CBS6 (WRGB - Albany)

Brownstoner

Curbed

Gothamist post-post

Gothamist post

Gothamist pre-post

Bike Blog NYC

And the indefatigable Street Films:

Thanks to everyone for participating and showing the City and its citizens the potential of our public space.

Happy P()DAY! And the POP.Park Winner is…

By Lindsey Lusher Shute on September 18th, 2009. Filed under: News

Along with 51 new parks, T.A. is also very proud to announce the winner for our POP.Park competition!

The POP.Park competition –to build a park inside a box for less than $20–was swept by Samina Iqbal.

Iqbal’s entry, built from 2 and 3-ply cardboard and painted for waterproofness, was clever, modern and light as a few birds (12 lb.). Like an Ikea anything, the HEX PACK PATIO starts flat in many pieces and can be easily assembled by following simple directions. Disassembling the HEX PACK PATIO is just as easy and it can be thrown under a bed or in a closet for storage.

When the HEX PACK PATIO is fully assembled it fills an average size parking space with attractive stools and tables that can be arranged and rearranged. As shown in Iqbal’s photo, the stools can also extra furniture for the spare apartment

The POP.Park Competition’s runner up was the Hen Park, straight from Switzerland. This conceptual entry merged two issues that are near and dear to many of us–transportation and food security. By highlighting the small amount of space required to keep a chicken (less room than a parking spot) and the low cost and high yield of that chicken, the Verzone Woods Architects reminded city dwellers that providing a bit more room for chickens will help the humans in the end.

Once again congratulations to both Samina and Verzone Woods! Both entries will be displayed today: the HEX PACK PATIO will be at Idealist.org’s park(ing) space Idea Swap and a prototype of the Hen Park (minus the mountains) will be up at the park(ing) space built by the Community Gardens of Brooklyn.

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