Park(ing) Day 2008

This past Friday, September 19, was Park(ing) Day, that day each year when parking spots are turned into miniature parks. Park(ing) Day is a nice reminder of the value of public spaces, and of how nice it can be to reclaim even small chunks of pavement from automobiles and return them to pedestrians, if only for a few hours. It also serves as a nice prelude to World Carfree Day, which falls every year on this day, September 22.

This year on Park(ing) Day, flowers bloomed from a parking meter in front of San Francisco City Hall:

And here are two other park(ing) spots — near Union Square, and across the street from the main branch of the public library:

For more: check out Flickr for lots of great photos of park(ing) spots in San Francisco. Streetsblog also put together its usual excellent coverage of Park(ing) Day in New York City.