PARK(ing) day festivities planned in Fayetteville Friday

A Park(ing) Day parklet created by students from ASLA Student Chapter at the University of Arkansas in 2016.

Staff photo

Two new temporary city parks will be installed on Dickson Street on Friday.

Students from the ASLA Student Chapter at the University of Arkansas, the City of Fayetteville’s sustainability department, and Bike Fayetteville will be converting parking spaces into “parklets” along the street as part of the national PARK(ing) Day event set for Friday, Sept. 15 around the country.

An ASLA designed Parklet recently installed near Blackboard Grocery on Dickson Street

PARK(ing) Day is a concept created by landscape architecture firm Rebar, and has become somewhat of a global phenomenon in recent years. The idea behind it is pretty simple. Residents turn public parking spaces into miniature parks as a way to illustrate how even a small area can be transformed into an enjoyable space.

In Fayetteville, the ASLA students will transform spaces 7346 and 7347 into a parklet featuring seating, an outdoor art venue, and greenspace. Space 7347 has already been converted into a parklet, with a structure designed by ASLA Students, as part of a larger Tactical Urbanism experiment that will run through Sept. 2018.

The Sustainability Department and Bike Fayetteville will use spaces 7344 and 7343 to create a multi-use area featuring lawn sports, a seating area, and a reading nook.

The parks will be set up from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m.

In addition to the PARK(ing) Day celebration, the city will also celebrate National Drive Electric Week from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Sept. 15 in spaces 7365-7368. Electric vehicles will be on hand for citizens to check out, and the mayor will give some remarks on the benefits of electric vehicles as well.

For a bit more information on PARK(ing) Day, visit parkingday.org.