International PARK(ing) Day is on September 21. Last year Asbury Park built a Parklet, a brightly painted and beautifully planted mini-park, and placed on parking spaces around the city. Temporary parking spot “parklets” are an effective way to show just how our streets can be places for people if we stop devoting so much space to storing cars.
July 26, 2018 Regina Schroter
What is your car doing when you are not driving it? It is probably parked outside your front door, occupying space. All around the world, people are already making creative uses out of parking lots. The city of The Hague is taking it a step further by offering citizens in Segbroek, a suburb in the west of the city, to turn their parking spot into an urban park for six months.
As cities are getting more dense, owning a private vehicle will not be possible for urban dwellers in the future. Adding some more green to the streets of The Hague is a nice side-effect, but the project’s aim goes way beyond that. Walter Dresscher, who works for the city government, explains that the citizens who participate will give car-sharing, public transport and biking a chance. Dresscher wonders whether this bottom-up approach will work or if top-down policy that manages car parking is still needed. Regardless of the outcome, whilst relaxing in their own pocket park, residents might come to the realization that living in an urban environment doesn’t need to go hand in hand with car ownership.
If you want more inspiration on how to transform your parking lot, check out this article.
https://popupcity.net/swapping-parking-spaces-for-pocket-parks/