Reclaiming Paved Paradise - Parking Day Redefines Public Spaces (VIDEO)

Park(ing) Day is an international event that sees the reclaiming of hundreds of parking spots in scores of cities around the world, which are transformed into relaxing public spaces for one day out of the year.

Campaigning for livable, people-friendly streets, people are turning city parking spaces into human hangouts for the day, giving local residents a spot of green relief from all the asphalt. The goal is also to start a conversation about what public space is and how it should be used; focusing on urban planning topics such as urban foraging, water issues and the importance of open/green space for city dwellers.

Parking Day is organized by artists, architects, planners, advocates, and citizens who are working together to make an argument for more people-friendly use of urban public space.

It all began in October 2005, when the group Transportation Alternatives took over a parking space in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. They created their first ‘parking spot squat,’ which offered free bike parking and a place to sit and talk to friends.