The City of Portland recently announced that applications are open for the annual observance of Park(ing) Day on September 20th. An international holiday that began in San Francisco in 2005 and takes place on the third Friday of September, Park(ing) Day is an opportunity for anyone to show how our right-of-way can function as much more than private car storage.
In the past, Portlanders have done all types of cool stuff in parking spaces from performing live music, to creating cool lounges to setting up ping-pong tables, and much more. The event is a reminder that our car-centric curb spaces are a choice and that all we lack is the creativity and public will to re-imagine them.
After all, streets are for people, not cars.
Now is the time to get your idea together and apply. PBOT will accept applications for spaces until end of day on September 13th. There are some restrictions about where you can set up and there’s some legwork you/your team must perform to be considered, but as long as you meet the guidelines and the city’s engineers sign off on your design, you’re good to go.
Find out more about Park(ing) Day and fill out the application on the city’s website.