Park(ing) Day in Peterborough

The Avant-Garden Shop, along with partners Otonabee Region Conservation Authority, and GreenUP will be temporarily transforming a parking space on Sherbrooke Street into a park for all to use this coming Friday.

Peterborough’s PARK(ing) Day is part of an annual worldwide event where artists, designers and citizens transform metered parking spots into temporary public parks.

Invented in 2005 by Rebar, a San Francisco based art and design studio, PARK(ing) Day invites people to rethink the way streets are used and promotes discussion around the need for broad based changes to urban infrastructure. “Urban inhabitants worldwide recognize the need for new approaches to making cities,” says Rebar principal Matthew Passmore. “The planning strategies that have led to traffic congestion, pollution and poor health in cities everywhere do not reflect contemporary values, nor are they sustainable. PARK(ing) Day raises these issues and demonstrates that even temporary projects can improve the character and quality of the city.”

2013 marks the first year that Peterborough joins the list of over 100 cities in 4 continents taking part in Park(ing) Day.

Brenda Ibey, who owns the Avant-Garden Shop,and organized the event,  invites people to come spend the day, or just stop by for a few minutes on their lunch break.

“The idea behind Park(ing) Day is to encourage people to use public spaces; to get out of their cars, interact with one another, and celebrate their city,” she said. People are invited to drop by the “park” in front of 165 Sherbrooke Street, anytime between 10am and 5pm.

“We’ll carpet the space with plants, add some accessories – there will even be a sandbox for the kids to play in! This is going to be a lot of fun,” Ibey continued. Refreshments and possibly some live music will also be on hand.

Supporters of Peterborough’s Park(ing) Day include: The Avant-Garden Shop, Stevens Landscape, Taylor’s recycled plastic products, Griffins greenhouses, Gardens Plus, Places in Nature studio, The Pasta Shop, Electric City Bread Company and local volunteers.

For more information, visit the PARK(ing) Day project website at www.parkingday.org 

Parking Day is happening Friday, near Sherbrooke and George Streets in downtown Peterborough. (photo: parkingday.org)