This Friday, Weber Thompson is joining artists, activists and citizens around the globe to temporarily transform metered parking spaces into a public park as part of the annual “PARK(ing) Day.” We’ll be posting updates throughout the day on our Facebook page, including details about the preparation, installation, and dismantling of the park.
When we first started brainstorming several months ago, we started with the concepts behind PARK(ing) Day. We started a dialogue about transportation. We discussed design and art and the ability to use this event as a way to make a statement about our car-based culture. That led us to try to visualize what would actually happen if nature grew over the cars that were parked in the spaces, literally engulfing them in greenery.
And then we found this inspiration photo when we Googled ‘cars covered with plants’:
It seemed ambitious, sure, but we all thought it would be pretty neat. After realizing that our plan would be difficult to achieve without the help of a few key staff members (namely, those with trucks, garages, and relatives who own lumber yards), we realized our park should also include golf, a favorite pastime of staff member Chris Golden, and he immediately joined the team.
Thus, our ‘Carmageddon Putt-Putt Golf Course’ temporary park was born.
Below is a sketch of our plan. It’s three parking stalls in length, and about 7 feet in width. It’s located just across the street from our office, and we designed a park for two of the spaces five years ago, also in conjunction with PARK(ing) Day.
We’ll be using real sod, artificial sod, wood chips, various automobile parts, and furniture designed by local landscape artist, Briar Bates. It’s really going to be quite the installation.
If you’re free on Friday and want to swing by and check out the park, it will be in place from 9am to 3pm (or thereabouts) near the intersection of Terry Avenue and Thomas Street. As mentioned, you can also follow along on Facebook.
There are several other parks in the immediate vicinity of our park, and many more throughout the city and beyond. See a map of PARK(ing) Day parks in Seattle here.
Stay tuned for updates, and wish us luck!