When: Friday, September 19, 9 am-5 pm
What: New Yorkers rolling out sod, trees, benches and public art in curbside parking spaces

• Columbus Circle – Curbside break room with grass, communal work tables, internet access
• 8th Avenue at 15th Street – Tea garden with DIY seating and sculptures, origami folding
• Cortelyou and Argyle Road, Brooklyn – Kid-friendly lounge in front of Cortelyou Library

For the second year, hundreds of New Yorkers will temporarily convert on-street parking spaces into parks, plazas and dynamic destinations as part of Park(ing) Day NYC. With striking visual installations, Park(ing) Day shows the latent potential of the street space currently used to park a single car, and how it can be repurposed for the use of an entire neighborhood. The annual event is sponsored by Transportation Alternatives and the Open Planning Project in conjunction with businesses, architectural firms and civic groups from all five boroughs.

Streets are New York City's most abundant public space, but the overwhelming majority of road space is given over to moving and parking motor vehicles. New York City has more than 75,000 metered parking spaces alone, and there is enormous opportunity for neighborhoods underserved by parks and public space to make use of abundant street space instead.

"Park(ing) Day shows the enormous impact of converting even a few square feet of parking to engaging public space," says Paul Steely White, Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives. "Whether it's seating for 10, parking for 20 bikes or just some much needed room to breathe, there are often more beneficial uses for a parking space than to park a single car."

More than 50 parking spaces will be reclaimed for this year's Park(ing) Day NYC. The event began in San Francisco in 2006, and has since expanded to dozens of cities across the country.

Full details about Park(ing) Day NYC, including a map of all spaces and activities, are available at parkingdaynyc.org.

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