Park(ing) Day, the one day every year where people around the world repurpose streets parking into parks and places for art, play, and activism, is a month away and, at Spin, we’re excited for a truly international celebration! We are also looking forward to working partners in Barcelona, Seattle, and Atlanta on special Spin Parking(Day) installations and activities.

As part of the celebration, we have selected 31 organizations in 27 cities around the world to whom we will grant $1,000 each toward creating a Park(ing) Day installation.

This year, Park(ing) Day carries a special significance. The pandemic and the need for social distancing showed many people the importance of better allocating public space for activities, not just for passive space. Many of the applicants talked about the need for parklets to be places to play, exercise, for hands-on educational activities for children, and other more active uses. This is especially important in neighborhoods that have few or no parks, which are often communities that have historically been underserved and underinvested in.

Ideas range from repurposing an entire parking lot into an outdoor movie theater, a spot where people can enjoy live music, a shady spot for folks to bring their pups to play, educational collaborations with local high school students, life-sized chess, and many other interesting ideas. Here is a quick description of a few of the winning projects:

From Park(ing) Day to Bark(ing) Day: A Spin on the Parklet - Oneida, New York

Oneida Improvement Committee, Inc decided to put a canine spin on Park(ing) Day with their installation called Bark(ing) Day! The group plans to turn two parking spots into a play area for dogs. They will repurpose the materials for the new dog park being developed behind their local rec center.  

Parklet Pitstop - Springdale, Arkansas

Did you know that Springdale, Arkansas is the pitstop for endangered Monarch butterflies when they migrate between their summer and winter homes in Canada and Mexico? 

The Downtown Springdale Alliance will use Park(ing) Day as an opportunity to teach local students, their families, and Downtown Springdale visitors more about the butterfly's unique migration pattern, habitat, and status as an endangered species through presentations and interactive exhibits from community partners. 

Pollinator-palooza - Brisbane, Australia

The University will shed light on the importance of biodiversity in urbanized areas by installing a structure with bee - and butterfly-attracting plants and information.

Checkmate! - Chicago, Illinois

Twist and Shout School of the Performing Arts will take over a downtown Chicago parking space to play a giant life-sized game of chess.

Urban Library - Charlotte, North Carolina

Promising Pages will create a pop-up children's book oasis for space for families to sit, read, and pick out a book to take home.

Community Fabric - Jamestown, Rhode Island

Looking Upwards, Inc. will set up an oversized loom and let passerbys contribute to a collaborative weaving project using recycled materials.

Outdoor Classroom - San Francisco, California

The Ruth Asawa School of the Arts High School will work with students to custom build or repurpose furniture that can be reused after Park(ing) Day in their classrooms.

We are very excited to see how these organizations turn parking spaces and even parking lots into urban oases for people! Continue to stay tuned to see the results and to learn more about Spin’s installations and Park(ing) Day events. Thanks to our partners, Park(ing) Day and Better Block Foundation.
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Take a look at the full list of grant awardees below:

• Brisbane, Australia—Queensland University of Technology 
• Cambridge, MD—Choptank Heritage Trails
• Charlotte, NC—Promising Pages
• Chicago, IL—Twist and Shout School of the Performing Arts
• Chicago, IL—Milwaukee Avenue Alliance
• Eugene, OR—Better Eugene-Springfield Transportation
• Jamestown, RI—Looking Upwards, Inc.
• Los Angeles, CA—Mid City West Neighborhood Council
• Meridian, Idaho—St. Luke's Hospital
• New York, NY—ASLA-NY
• Oklahoma City, OK—Urban Land Institute Oklahoma
• Omaha, NE—Mode Shift Omaha
• Oneida, NY—Oneida Improvement Committee, Inc
• Oregon City, OR—The Street Trust
• Provo, UT—BikeWalk Provo
• Portland, ME—Portland Trails
• Portland, ME—Friends of Congress Square Park
• Portland, OR— Portland State University - Masters of Urban & Regional Planning students
• Providence, RI—Providence Street Coalition
• Raleigh, NC—Oaks and Spokes + Placemaking Studio
• San Francisco, CA—Ruth Asawa School of the arts highschool
• Somerville, MA—CultureHouse
• Springdale, AR—Downtown Springdale Alliance
• Springfield, MO—Better Block SGF
• Tacoma, WA—Downtown On the Go
• Tallahassee, FL—Providence Neighborhood Association
• Tokyo, Japan—Park(ing)Day Japan and Sotonoba
• Toronto, Ontario, Canada—Urban Minds
• Washington DC—Uptown Main Street
• Washington, DC—Eastern Market Main Street
• Washington, DC - Marshall Heights Community Development