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