As many as 2 in 3 people in America’s largest cities lack convenient access to a park, playground, or other natural place. Parks and public spaces are critical for our health, recreation, relaxation, and quality of life. Parks revitalize neighborhoods and bring people together.

More than 70% of many cities' downtown outdoor space is dedicated to the private vehicle, while only a fraction of that space is allocated to the public realm. Streets are by far the largest component of publicly-owned space in a city, yet they are given over almost exclusively to vehicle movement and parking spots.

A parking spot is essentially a short term lease. Feeding a parking meter enables one to rent precious urban real estate for as little as a dollar an hour. By transforming parking spots into PARK(ing) spaces we can temporarily expand the public realm and improve the quality of urban human habitat… until the meter runs out!

The goal of PARK(ing) Day is to reprogram the urban surface by reclaiming streets for people to rest, relax, and play, and to:

 Promote a critical dialogue among artists, designers, activists, citizens, corporations, and government regarding the need for urban open space and they way in which streets are currently used.

Energize civic life by questioning basic assumptions about urban space while offering provocative and meaningful alternatives.

Connect artists, designers, and activists with ways to permanently reclaim the street for people.

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