background
project organizer and supporters
project allies

On November 16th, 2005, REBAR opened eyes worldwide by transforming a metered parking spot into a park. REBAR identified a site that was underserved by public outdoor space located in an ideal, sunny location between the hours of noon and 2 pm. They installed a small, temporary park that provided nature, seating, and shade. By their calculations, they provided 24,000 square-foot-minutes of public open space that afternoon.

Since the initial PARK(ing) project was created, REBAR has been contacted by individuals and organizations worldwide. Inspired by a simple idea that touched a nerve, groups from Los Angeles to Budapest spread the word. PARK(ing) caught the attention of the global BLOG network and the international media. Groups from Santa Monica to Sicily have adopted and re-created the project to promote the cause. What began as a simple, playful idea has become a lively and visible symbol of the desire to reprogram the street and increase public open space in cities worldwide.

And now REBAR, with support from The Trust for Public Land, seeks to build upon this groundswell of interest and create an international event. PARK(ing) Day provides an opportunity for people who are concerned about the need for open space to engage in a hands-on national movement. PARK(ing) Day will bring brings artists, designers, and activists together to call attention to the need for green space in urban areas, to challenge the way streets are used, and to promote human health and safety in streets.

Project Organizers

REBAR
[www.rebargroup.org]
REBAR is a San Francisco-based art collective. Much like a DJ samples recorded sounds, REBAR appropriates elements of the physical/cultural world and remixes them into novel contexts. By “remixing the landscape” in this way, the group exposes new meanings and alters assumptions about our shared environment. REBAR projects engage social, ecological, and cultural processes as they unfold materially in space and time. While the group’s work can be used or interpreted as playful, ridiculous, or absurd, it is also highly functional. REBAR remixes the ordinary, repurposes the ubiquitous, and rebuilds with invisible structural material . . . much like rebar itself.

With Support From:

TPL
[www.tpl.org]
The Trust for Public Land (TPL) is a national, nonprofit, land conservation organization that conserves land for people to enjoy as parks, community gardens, historic sites, rural lands, and other natural places, ensuring livable communities for generations to come. A long-term goal of TPL is to ensure that someday everyone in our cities has a park, playground, or inviting public space nearby.

Kimpton Hotels - Reception Host
[www.kimptonhotels.com]
Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants is a unique collection of boutique hotels coupled with destination restaurants. Kimpton is a leader in environmental practices, offering eco-friendly amenities and following environmentally conscious operating procedures from the use of recyclable paper and soy ink for collateral to guest room water saving and recycling programs.

Project Allies

Zipcar
[www.zipcar.com]
Zipcars live in your neighborhood! Drive hybrids, MINIs, BMWs, cars that
haul and more. By the hour or day. Includes gas, insurance, and parking.
Simply reserve online, walk a block and drive away.

Zipcar is committed to PARK(ing) Day, and to preserving green space in
general as fewer parking spaces are required to meet the driving needs of
the same number of people.

Learn more about the green benefits of Zipcar.

University of California Transportation Center
[www.uctc.net]
The UCTC supports the University of California's educational programs in transportation with awards of scholarships and fellowships to students planning careers in transportation. UCTC sponsors seminars and conferences where scholars and public officials meet to exchange information and research findings. The Center also publishes the results of research it has funded in the form of working papers, reprints of journal articles, and in its official magazine, ACCESS.