Park(ing) Day is your chance to repurpose street space

At Park(ing) Day in 2013, local musician Dan Kaufman set up in a space on SW Harvey Milk. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

The City of Portland recently announced that applications are open for the annual observance of Park(ing) Day on September 20th. An international holiday that began in San Francisco in 2005 and takes place on the third Friday of September, Park(ing) Day is an opportunity for anyone to show how our right-of-way can function as much more than private car storage.

In the past, Portlanders have done all types of cool stuff in parking spaces from performing live music, to creating cool lounges to setting up ping-pong tables, and much more. The event is a reminder that our car-centric curb spaces are a choice and that all we lack is the creativity and public will to re-imagine them.

After all, streets are for people, not cars.

Now is the time to get your idea together and apply. PBOT will accept applications for spaces until end of day on September 13th. There are some restrictions about where you can set up and there’s some legwork you/your team must perform to be considered, but as long as you meet the guidelines and the city’s engineers sign off on your design, you’re good to go.

Find out more about Park(ing) Day and fill out the application on the city’s website.

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Founder of BikePortland (in 2005). Father of three. North Portlander. Basketball lover. Car driver. If you have questions or feedback about this site or my work, contact me via email at maus.jonathan@gmail.com, or phone/text at 503-706-8804. Also, if you read and appreciate this site, please become a paying subscriber.

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Therealdanrather
Therealdanrather
1 month ago

“…streets are for people, not cars.” Has to be the dumbest statement I’ve read this week.

Watts
Watts
1 month ago

Personally, I don’t think it’s a dumb statement, but it is awkwardly stated. Of course streets are “for people”, and many people choose to use them with a car. A car is only there because a person brought it.

A better phrasing would be “streets are for walking (or playing guitar or whatever), not for driving (or parking or whatever)”, centering the person.

With that, we could discuss the merits of the concept the way you intended it.

Watts
Watts
1 month ago

It’s easier to have a conversation when you just say what you mean, rather than relying on confusing or ambiguous slogans.

qqq
qqq
1 month ago

I agree. I also think that your phrase is especially apt and unambiguous for the subject of use of parking spaces, which are ONLY for cars (or other vehicles), and unoccupied ones at that–except on this one day.

And if anyone still finds that phrase imprecise or whatever, there’s an entire article providing context for it.

Watts
Watts
1 month ago
Reply to  qqq

If you need it an entire article to provide context, is the slogan really that good?

I feel like we went through this recently with “defund the police”; one of the shortcomings of that slogan is that people meant (or claimed to mean) something different than what the words said.

I generally disagree with you and Jonathan that slogans are good for discussing ideas.

(None of this should be interpreted to think that I in any way believe that driving and parking are the only legitimate uses of a street.)

Watts
Watts
1 month ago

My bad; I thought the idea of Parking Day and this article was to promote discussion and spur thought about how our streets are used.

Obie
Obie
1 month ago

agree. Streets are for cars, sideWALKs are for people.

qqq
qqq
1 month ago
Reply to  Obie

sideWALKs are for people.

Tell that to this Water Bureau guy.

I could have chosen from dozens of similar photos I have of just City trucks with VISION ZERO stickers (like this one) on them. He’s a few feet away from an on-street space AND empty spaces in a parking lot, blocking the main pedestrian and bike entrance (see new giant blue sign) to a major park.

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