September 16, 2016

DDC Transforms a Queens Parking Space for PARK(ing) Day 2016

The New York City Department of Design and Construction (DDC) transformed a parking spot in Queens into a micropark in the celebration of PARK(ing) Day, an annual open-source global event where community members, artists, designers and organizations transform parking spaces into temporary public places for a day. Created in 2005 by Rebar, a San Francisco-based art and design studio, the mission of PARK(ing) Day challenges people to rethink the way streets are used and reinforces the potential benefits of broad-based changes to urban infrastructure.

In observance of the global event, DDC converted a parking space on Thomson Avenue in front of its Long Island City headquarters into a temporary parklet featuring astroturf, tables, chairs, plants and posters showcasing DDC projects. Throughout the day, employees from DDC’s Office of the Chief Architect and the Science, Technology, Engineering, Art/Architecture and Math (STEAM) education division discussed with passersby the importance of equity, resiliency, healthy living, and sustainability.

“Participating in this year’s PARK(ing) Day was a great opportunity to foster spontaneous interactions with our neighbors about the importance of public spaces and adding to the vitality of the Long Island City streetscape. This activity helped us get closer to the community to showcase the work we are putting into practice such as applying our guiding principles to projects pertaining to equity and sustainability, said DDC Commissioner Feniosky Peña-Mora.