Seattle is taking worldwide PARKing Day a step further by celebrating it for two days in a row. It seems Seattle residents really love the event, and the city has received so many requests for permits that leaders have added a day to accommodate everyone. According to mynorthwest.com, people there turn parking spaces into lounges, cafes, game rooms, smoothie stands and much more.
Seattle PARKing Day has been an annual tradition since 2007, but 2016 will be the first year of Seattle PARKing Day Plus, which adds the extra day. Seattle is among 160 cities across the nation that participate in the event. Over the past couple years, approximately 50 of these parks have sprouted up during the event.
I’m not going to say I’m surprised that Seattle has enough people interested in this event to warrant an extra day, because I’m not. What surprises me is the city’s willingness to celebrate with its residents. I’ve watched PARKing Day gain momentum, and while I’ve never heard of people being harassed by city officials for participating, I’ve also never got the impression municipalities are enthusiastic. And not only is the city working in an extra day, it’s offering financial support.
The Seattle Department of Transportation and the Department of Neighborhoods offer $1,000 grants to residents that create their own parks, with the aim of building stronger, healthier communities while “re-thinking” how Seattle’s streets can be used.
I’m trying to decide if $1,000 is impressive or crazy, but it’s Seattle, so I’m going to stick with the positive outlook. Read the article here.
PARKing Day is an annual worldwide event where artists, designers and citizens transform metered parking spots into temporary public parks. For more information on PARKing Day, visit its website.
