College of Architecture students will transform ordinary parking spaces in downtown Lincoln into miniature parks and architectural installations that add value to the public street. The "PARK(ing) Day" designs are on display today, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on 12th Street, between O and Q streets.
The student designs seek to call attention not just to urban space, but urban space here in Lincoln. Students want to generate critical debate around how public space is created, allocated and too frequently given over to the automobile.
PARK(ing) Day is an annual global event where citizens, artists and activists collaborate to temporarily transform metered parking spaces into temporary public places.
The project began in 2005 when Rebar, a San Francisco art and design studio, converted a single metered parking space into a temporary public park in downtown San Francisco. PARK(ing) Day has evolved into a global movement, with organizations and individuals creating new forms of temporary public space in urban contexts around the world.
PARK(ing) Day is under the direction of Peter Olshavsky, assistant professor of architecture and was made possible by a grant from the Fulbright Canada-RBC Eco-Leadership Program.