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EDAW turns ordinary asphalt into an inviting space
with cardboard tubes, old business cards and leaves

NYC 3-Step to hosting a Park(ing) Spot:

  1. Registration is Open. Check the Map to find a spot near you.
  2. Plan your park.
  3. Build your park and relax in it on Park(ing) Day.

New Yorkers Guide to Park(ing) Day NYC

To help you organize, plan and build a successful Park(ing) Day spot, we've developed the following guide.

First things first: Registration — Registration Now Closed

Park(ing) Day NYC logistics are coordinated by Transportation Alternatives (T.A.). If you'd like to participate in 2009, you must register. Once you register, T.A. staff will secure your permit, add your park(ing) spot to the printed day-of materials and make your spot an official sign.

To register your location, you need the following information:

  1. Name of lead organizer and contact information
  2. Location of your spot (intersection and cross streets)
  3. Title of your spot
  4. Description of your spot (activities, design, etc.)
  5. Hours your spot will be open
  6. Parking rules at the location of your spot
  7. Link to organization hosting spot, if applicable

Organizing, Planning and Building a Successful Park(ing) Spot

Staten Island ladies

Get Helpers (friends!)

No great Park(ing) Spot is the result of a single person working alone. Make things easier on yourself, not to mention more fun, by getting some like-minded folks to agree to help you out. Short on volunteering friends? Try asking local businesses near where you want to build your spot, or community groups in the neighborhood. Need help finding people? Let us know.

Pick a Place

A space waiting to be converted

Where do you want to build your park(ing) spot? Imagine places in your neighborhood where you'd just like to sit down, take a load off and chat with friends or read a book. This is your location. The best park(ing) spots are built in places where people naturally gather, such as coffee shops, food stands, bookstores, landmarks, subway stops or museums.

Where shouldn't you build your park(ing) spot? In any place that impedes other people's way or will put your visitors in danger: crosswalks, bike lanes, fire hydrants, driveways, and bus stops are out. Really busy, high traffic streets are OK, but will make your visitors feel a little bit scared (especially kids). Park(ing) spots that are close to city parks may not attract as many people as park(ing) spots that are located in areas where people are looking for green space.

Make a Plan and Gather Supplies

Planning a successful park(ing) spot takes nothing more than a bit of creativity and teamwork. While most anything's game, there are a few characteristics of winning park(ing) spots that you should consider:

A place to sit. This is crucial! Without a place to sit, no one (even you) is going to want to hang around for long. But no need to fear if you don't care for chairs - items such as hay bales, milk cartons, and park benches have been used to great effect!

Shade. Is your spot located in the shade? If not, you may want to think about providing some with an umbrella or other sun-blocking surface. It can get pretty hot down there where the cars live!

Manhattan Community Boards 2 and 4
team-up to talk to neighbors about
public space on park(ing) day.

Protection from traffic. Most people aren't comfortable enough to lay right down and read a book a few inches from moving traffic. Think about how you're going to separate your area from traffic; benches, cones, theater partitions, and hay bales have all worked in the past. If you'd like to have French barricades (those metal fences the NYPD uses), let us know and we'll help you arrange them. Child-oriented spots in particular need to keep the kiddies contained, for the safety of the kids and the peace of mind of all parents involved.

An asphalt alternative. Asphalt is no fun: it's hard, dirty and uninviting. Here's some ways that past organizers have covered up what the City laid down:

  • Recycled and natural materials. Interesting platforms and soft surfaces can provide an intriguing and comfortable ground cover. One of the most imaginative park(ing) spots in 2008, designed by EDAW, was built atop cardboard tubes lashed together with twine. These tubes created a boardwalk effect and were covered with leaves to remind visitors of the season.
  • Felt. Felt is soft, colorful, inexpensive and easy to work with and find. The garment district has miles of it.
  • Grass. In past years, many Park(ing) Spot organizers have used sod. Grass is, for better or worse, a person-magnet. This is no exaggeration. If you use sod, you'll have a hard time laying it out on the street before hoards of people will be sitting, lying and smiling all over it. Lots and lots of people are excellent for your park(ing) spot, but sod's not so good for your pocketbook or the land where it was grown. If you decide to go with this option, here's how to do it:
    • Buy the sod (you may need to order a few weeks in advance) from a NYC garden center. In the past, we've ordered sod from Dimitri's in the Bronx. Home Depot and Lowe's don't stock sod past the summer and spring.
    • Carry the sod. Sod is heavy, wet, and dirty and moving it requires a car or serious bike trailer. You'll be hard-pressed to find a cabbie who will let you get in his ride with a trunk full of dirt.
    • Put a plastic barrier between your sod and the asphalt. Sod is alive, and very thirsty. If you put it directly on top of asphalt it will spend the day drinking up oil and grime, and it will probably die. Don't be a sod-killer. Trash bags or plastic drop cloths and a bit of newspaper work very well. This layer also helps with...
    • Clean up!! Your sod will make a mess, my friends. Bring a broom to sweep up its droppings or...
    • Convince someone to come pick it up. Community gardens, rooftop farmers and people from New Jersey love sod. All you have to do to get rid of it is to put it up on Craigslist for "free" and arrange for a person to pick it up at the end of the day.
  • Materials we haven't thought of... There are endless ways to create inviting and comfortable surface on top of concrete. Share how you're doing it here.

A theme. Not a requirement by any means, but if you want your spot to have a little flair and aren't sure what to do, it can help to pick an overarching theme. Past successes include "Fall Harvest", "Gymnastics", and "Bike Parking."

Activities can be as simple as chalk and asphalt

An activity. An activity. People attract people - give them a reason to stop. Having activities in your space will keep it lively and interesting to passers by. Previous park builders played music and games, served tea and smoothies, made art projects, served food, promoted various political or environmental causes, and even used their park(ing) spot as an open air office.

A way to get around. Park(ing) Spots require a lot of ingredients, as you have no doubt realized by now. Here's some cargo-carrying options:

On Park(ing) Day

The Open Planning Project and T.A. weave a friendly street
divider into their park to demarcate the space

Morning
Set-up! Get to your location early to reserve a place for your park. *Remember* that you are competing with cars for a parking space. Some organizers actually park their own car or a bunch of cones in a parking space the night before Park(ing) Day to reserve a space.

Afternoon
Hang out, relax, enjoy!

Evening
Clean-up! Park(ing) Day is a leave-no-trace affair. If you're using sod, you may need to sweep the street.

Park(ing) Day Checklist

In addition to the materials for your spot, you will need the following on Park(ing) Day.

Re-envision your work environment

  1. Your street activity permit
  2. Your sign
  3. Park(ing) Day NYC Maps

All of these items will be available at the T.A. office a few days prior to Park(ing) Day. We will notify you when they are ready.

parkingdaynyc.org Helps

Here are a few web features that will help support your Park(ing) Day plans:

  1. The Map:
    We will automatically add your parking spot to the Map when you register. Once your spot is added, you can login and edit the information on your spot (the description) and add photos. The Map also allows people to contact you to volunteer at your spot and allows you to contact other organizers building spots nearby. This might be helpful for groups who would like to share a ride or supplies.
  2. The Blog:
    Find out what other organizers are doing, how spots have been planned in the past and updates on the POP.Park Competition on the blog.
  3. The Forum
    Have a question? Ask it at the forum.
  4. Inspiration

Volunteer

Volunteer and Participate, even if you don't host your own. If you aren't organizing your own Park(ing) Spot, but want to be involved and volunteer, let us know. We would love your help! Email: info@parkingdaynyc.org

website produced by OpenPlans

Original concept by Rebar.