Vancouver Public Space Network celebrates PARK(ing) Day 2011 by reclaiming parking spaces for public use

(Vancouver, BC) September 16, 2011 — In cities around the globe today, artists, activists, and citizens will temporarily transform metered parking spaces into public parks and other social spaces, as part of an annual event called PARK(ing) Day.

The Vancouver Public Space Network (VPSN) will celebrate PARK(ing) Day in Vancouver by reclaiming parking spaces at the corner of 8th Avenue and Cambie Street between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. VPSN volunteers will set up an urban ‘rec room’, offering passersby the chance to read a book, play games, and hang out with friends while thinking about how public space is allocated.

“There are more than 7,500 metered parking spaces in Vancouver, which take up a significant amount of space,” said the VPSN’s Simon Wong. “By reclaiming some of these spaces, we hope to challenge people to re-imagine the possibilities of the urban landscape.”

Community librarian Sarah Green from the Vancouver Public Library’s Mount Pleasant branch will stop by from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. to drop off coffee table books, sign up new members, and discuss user accounts.

Originally invented in 2005 by ReBar, a San Francisco-based art and design studio, PARK(ing) Day challenges people to rethink the way streets are used and reinforces the need for broad-based changes to urban infrastructure.

Since 2005, the project has blossomed into a worldwide grassroots movement: PARK(ing) Day 2010 included more than 800 installations in more than 180 cities in 30 countries on six continents. This year, the project continues to expand to urban centers across the globe.

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About the Vancouver Public Space Network:
The VPSN is a grassroots collective that engages in advocacy, outreach and education on public space issues in and around Vancouver. This includes challenging the increase of advertising ‘creep’ in public places, promoting creative, community-friendly urban design, monitoring private security activities in the downtown core, fostering public dialogue and democratic debate, and devising creative ways to re-green the neglected corners, alleys and forgotten spaces of the city.

For more information, visit www.vpsn.ca

Media contact:
Simon Wong
Vancouver Public Space Network
(604) 780-0279
simon[at]vancouverpublicspace.ca