Enthusiasts set up a small temporary park all day Friday at the corner of Chapel and College streets to celebrate New Haven’s open spaces. Some passersby joined them, while others thought they were crazy.
They set up real turf, a tree and two big plants in pots, and several lawn chairs, all surrounded by mulch. There organizers (pictured left to right, Justin Elicker, Claude Saunders, David Streever, and Ilissa Kelman, mother of Claude) and a visitor sat enjoying the park-like atmosphere, as cars and buses rushed by.
Streever said National Park(ing) Day is a protest in many cities, to call attention to the lack of parks. But he said in New Haven there’re lots of open spaces. “So we’re here just to celebrate parks, the park system, and encourage people to use the green spaces we have.” He added, “There definitely is a statement, too, about the over-motorization of cities and the overuse of the city as a parking lot.”
Sometimes they relinquished their seats to passersby like Richard Wurtzel of New Haven (pictured). “I was walking by, heading off to the bank. They invited me…I said, I’ll be on my way back – I’ll bring some lunch.”
Wurtzel lives downtown and spends time on the Green and in East Rock Park. He loved the idea of National Parking Day. “I think it’s a good way to let people know about [the parks] and a reminder for people who do know about them to continue to use them.”
Streever said all the elements of the temporary mini-park would be transplanted to New Haven’s full-time, permanent parks.
To show its support, the city donated two parking spaces rather than make organizers feed the meters.
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A roundup from New York City:
<a href="http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/19/the-year-of-the-parking-space/index.html?hp" rel="nofollow">http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/19/the-year-of-the-parking-space/index.html?hp</a>
Imagine the park extending along the whole strip of street parking, and how nice the street would be as a place to hang out. If only we had that vision. Unfortunately, we don't, and our kids (especially urban kids) suffer by having no place to go.
Wonder why child obesity rates are so high in the central city? It's because 40% of the land in our city is dedicated to automobiles, ironically, making it impossible to go anywhere.