September 21, 2007

Susan Clark, TPL Wiley Norvell

September 21st is National PARK(ing) Day, when thousands around the country will reclaim parking spaces in their neighborhoods and convert them into lively parks and public spaces. For one day, Transportation Alternatives (T.A.), The Trust for Public Land (TPL) and more than a dozen community groups around New York City will convert 20 on-street parking spaces into "vest pocket" parks, bicycle parking, extended sidewalks and open air cafés to show the potential of city streets to do more than just store private cars.

"Less than half of NYC households even own cars, and yet we give over so much road space to parking them," says Paul Steely White, Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives. "What if one parking space on every block was converted into a greener public space that everyone could use? That’s the message behind Park(ing) Day."

"Every bit of green makes a difference," said Rose Harvey, Vice President of The Trust for Public Land, the organization putting on National Park(ing) Day. "In New York City, we have more than eight million residents dependent on our parks and open spaces. We need every community garden, every playground, every park that we can get."

NYC PARK(ing) projects include:

• MoMA – Vest pocket park by Trust for Public Land
• Penn Station – Sod and street furniture by Transportation Alternatives and TPL
• Lincoln Center – Modern day tribal village by Endless Love Crew and Chashama
• Lower East Side – "New York BC: Life Before Cars" exhibit by the LES Girls Club
• Park Slope – Bicycle parking, benches and street amenities by Park Slope Neighbors

PARK(ing) Day was officially launched by The Trust for Public Land and Re(bar) Group in San Francisco in 2005 and taken nationally by TPL this year. Nationwide, more than 30 cities will participate, and in New York City, TPL and Transportation Alternatives are helping neighborhood groups site, design and construct over 20 PARK(ing) spots in all five boroughs. A full list of NYC PARK(ing) Day locations is available at openplans.org/projects/park-ing-day.

View this press release in PDF format