Portions of Public Parks

Lindsay Sauerlender

Harminder Dhaliwal

Adrian Servetnick

                 

Our group went to two locations in Downtown Seattle on January 17^th during mid afternoon. The first was Westlake Park, which was not as busy as we had expected, but there was an interesting dynamic among the different types of people. In Photo 1, you can see the large group of, if not homeless, then malcontents gathered in the corner of the square by the bus stop. Other than this group, the only other people sharing the square were the three police officers patrolling the park (Photo 2). Also in this photo you can see a large arch and stage, which was constructed as a means to facilitate entertainment to the public. It is interesting that, despite the openness of the square, any and all people in the area are grouped to the corners and sides. The art (blue trees), lights, and benches in Photo 3 demonstrate the effort made to appeal to public enjoyment of the park. These benches also serve as a resting place for shoppers in the area. The second location we visited was Victor Steinbrueck Park. In these photos you can see how the park was designed with a seating area to showcase the views of the water (as well as the recent addition of the Great Wheel). The canopy here provides a necessary shelter for people to share in the frequent Seattle rain (Photo 4).  Photos 5 and 6 were taken a bit farther away from the water, but they demonstrate the appeal to tourists with the cement benches that, in addition to providing seating (Photo 5), are also used for community business when they are filled with the wares of vendors (Photo 6).

Boundaries Blurred: PARK(ing) Day in Seattle

             Founded by the Rebar group, a San Francisco based design and art studio, PARK(ing) Day is " an annual worldwide event where artists, designers and citizens transform metered parking spots into temporary public parks.”¹ The goals of PARK(ing) day are to bring awareness to the need for more open, public and green spaces in urban areas. Since the inaugural parking spot was transformed into a temporary park back in 2005, the event has become an international phenomenon, reaching cities (and parking stalls) across the globe. What makes this event particularly compelling to examine as an example of the idea of “City Sharing” is how not only the physical boundaries of the parking stall but also the social boundaries within an urban environment become blurred. As depicted in the photo slideshow, urban dwellers from a variety of unique demographics and socio-economic backgrounds are able to come together and cohabit a single parking stall space, transforming it into a fun, active and unique shared city space.            

          The creativity of designers and community activists who reimagine and work to temporarily transform these parking stalls is astounding. Providing different experiences through the physical design and inclusion of seating and activities, these seemingly mundane parking stalls become active places for social interaction and engagement. Many PARK(ing) day stall designs include the use of vegetation and landscape elements, creating the visual appeal and ambience of a community park or garden, which can be interpreted as an example of Rutherford Platt’s discussion of the “Garden City” movement in the early 1900s-- which targeted the design for open spaces in town areas for community parks and gardens which would be nostalgic of previous colonial gathering periods” (6:1994)².            

          Seattle’s participation in PARK(ing) Day illustrates the creativity and power of ordinary citizens to transform and share city spaces for the benefit of all.

Sources

1) http://parkingday.org

2) Platt, Rutherford H. 1994. From Commons to Commons: Evolving Concepts of Open Space in North American Cities.