PARK(ing)

The initial PARK(ing) intervention occurred on November 16, 2005 from noon until 2 p.m., without incident or interference from any level of institutional authority. Sort of makes you wonder what else you can do in a parking space . . .

Providing temporary public open space in a privatized part of town.

One of the more critical issues facing outdoor urban human habitat is the increasing paucity of space for humans to rest, relax, or just do nothing.

For example, more than 70% of San Francisco's downtown outdoor space is dedicated to the private vehicle, while only a fraction of that space is allocated to the public realm.

Feeding the meter of a parking space enables one to rent precious downtown real estate, typically on a 1/2 hour to 2 hour basis. What is the range of possible occupancy activities for this short-term lease?

PARK(ing) is an investigation into reprogramming a typical unit of private vehicular space by leasing a metered parking spot for public recreational activity.

We identified a site in an area of downtown San Francisco that is underserved by public outdoor space and is in an ideal, sunny location between the hours of noon and 2 p.m. There we installed a small, temporary public park that provided nature, seating, and shade.

Our goal was to transform a parking spot into a PARK(ing) space, thereby temporarily expanding the public realm and improving the quality of urban human habitat, at least until the meter ran out.

By our calculations, we provided an additional 24,000 square-foot-minutes of public open space that Wednesday afternoon.

Conspiring with Rebar's John Bela and Matthew Passmore in the creation of PARK(ing) were Blaine Merker and Gregory Kellett. Still photos by Andrea Scher and Jeff Conlon. And a big thank you to Brady Moss, the talented filmmakers at IMA and the good folks from McSweeney's who got the whole thing on tape.

You may replicate PARK(ing) in your own urban environment,
subject to the terms of our creative commons license.