It is a day when artists, activists, and citizens taken an ordinary metered parking space and turn it into a temporary public park for the day."The idea of the event is to hire a parking space but then turn it into a mini Park rather than using it to park your car. It aims to get people thinking about the use of urban space, the dominance of the car in our society and other travel options such as biking, walking and taking the bus." (--Feet First website)
Although only temporary, PARK(ing) Day has inspired direct participation in the civic processes that permanently alter the urban landscape.
Last year, Seattle had 32 mini parks in parking spots around the city, with a plan to have around 50 this year. Click here to see Capitol Hill's plan for their neighborhood, including an awards ceremony for the "first ever Park(ing) Day Seattle Prize."
In Vancouver, the Vancouver Public Space Network (VPSN) has been reaching out to people to set up their own park or to join them at their park in front of Caffe Artigiano on Hornby.
If you feel tempted to create your own oasis in the midst of a bustling city, you can find more information here.