BSLA Fieldbook BSLA 2015 Spring Fieldbook | Page 60

BSLA / MEMBER MICHAEL RADNER, ASLA SEE YOU IN THE STREETS! B y now you have heard of ‘pop up parks’ or ‘parklets’ those little urban oases that seem to spring up overnight and where young hipsters and food truck folk seem to magically coalesce. Friday, September 18 is PARK(ing) Day. On that date, all around the world, in hundreds of cities, metered curbside parking spaces in dense urban areas will be converted to community open spaces. Instead of the space being used to park a car, it will be transformed into a place to socialize, appreciate innovative art, read poetry or maybe create a classroom. These spaces will make the point that cities are for people and that urban real estate is a precious commodity. As the Red Sox say, “Why not us?” I will be helping to spearhead PARK(ing) Day in Framingham, where both my business and home are located. I look forward to working closely with my local officials and volunteer groups to, if only for a day, improve our quality of life, create civic pride and raise awareness of our profession and the importance of public open space. While I am new to the effort, our Western Mass. colleagues and LA’s from Kyle Zick Landscape Architecture, Stantec (and others), have participated in prior years. As landscape architects, we can and should be the ambassadors of public open space. In addition to lending our skills as designers and builders, I encourage all of us to become leaders and (especially) communicators. Spread the gospel in your town or city and engage the community. Visit www.parkingday.org for more information. See you in the streets! Sta