19 Sept, 2013

Step up and get a park on Park(ing) Day!

Adelaide designers, artists and anyone passionate about their city – and those full of ideas for it – are transforming selected on-street car parks into creative spaces for people to enjoy for one day only, to celebrate International PARK(ing) Day on Friday 20 September.

This year, Council’s Library Centre’s team will have its own space complete with a taste of what’s to come when the New City Library opens in Rundle Place in early 2014.

City Library’s park will reflect ‘A place of possibility’ where creativity and innovation are fostered through cutting edge technologies, inspirational spaces, quiet reading zones and functional design, the foundation of the new library.

People keen to know more can access information about the New City Library at the library’s Parking Day site in Gawler Place.

Councilor Natasha Malani said PARK(ing) Day is a great opportunity for those living and working in the city to create something unexpected and fun on our city streets.

“This year’s judging panel includes former Adelaide Thinker in Residence, Charles Landry, and former Integrated Design Commission leader Tim Horton, so it’s easy to see our contribution to this event is recognised on the international stage,” said Natasha.

“The 2012 PARK(ing) Day attracted almost 10,000 pedestrians to Pirie Street, an increase of more than 3000 people than on an average day. Taking up parking spaces for something other than vehicles, just for one day of the year, attracts some very interesting and innovative ideas on how we might use city streets into the future.

This year, PARK(ing) Day will loop around the city core to include Pirie Street, Gawler Place, Leigh Street and Hindmarsh Square where food trucks will provide a tempting rest and refreshment stop along the route.

“People embraced the opportunity last year and many joined in with the PARK(ing) exhibitors’ activities including sketching, yarn bombing or writing thoughts - each one was a surprising, fun additional element to the everyday street environment, I’m expecting people to join in again this year.

“These opportunities serve as powerful symbols of communities wanting to improve urban quality and if we look back we can see that in 2010 there were only 12 PARKS, this number has grown and last year there were more than 30 participants last year and in 2012,” said Natasha.

Alex Hall, Senior Architect from Hassel Studio and this year’s Adelaide PARK(ing) Day co-coordinator said the event is a perfect time for people to get out and explore their city streets.

“PARK(ing) Day encourages us to get creative, use our imagination and think beyond standard use of city space.

“We have already seen street art and pop-up vendors tap into some of the potential Adelaide streets hold, but PARK(ing) Day this year will again allow us to explore this even further by getting design firms, students, artists, musicians, academics, schools and community groups bringing colour and life to our streets,” said Alex.

“We encourage everyone to hit the pavement on Friday 20 September and see how everyday spaces can be transformed through initiatives like this.”

A global event, PARK(ing) Day began in San Francisco in 2005 with arts collective Rebar. This will be the fourth year Adelaide has taken part.

It is based on the idea that paying a parking meter is like ‘renting’ a public space, and instead of parking a car, why not park something else?

PARK(ing) Day 2013 is set to be bigger and better and is being coordinated by a volunteer collective of designers (urban designers, planners, architects and landscape architects) with support from City of Adelaide.

The aim is to bring these streets and the two squares alive for the day with colour, activity and, most importantly, people who can wander through the streets and be inspired by visions for our city created by PARK(ing) teams.

For further information contact the coordinating committee or visit www.adelaideparkingday.com

Rebecca Draysey