Current Submissions

The following is a selection of PARK(ing) Day ideas that have been submitted for consideration so far.

By no means is this a complete list of all ideas, just only a small sampling of the most creative ones.

Ideas listed on this page are not automatically included to be PARK(ing) Day participants, rather, they are being used to simply illustrate what is possible and are still required to be approved & selected by the selection committee.

If you have a creative idea of how an on street parking space could be better used make sure to submit your own PARK(ing) Day space idea.

The Real Issue

This Park(ing) Day space aims to juxtapose a replicated Shelter experience, complete with crash bed, with the type of comfortable subsidized living space that could be provided for the same cost. Our goal is to inform and educate passers-by about the realities of poverty and homelessness while empowering and enabling participants to make a difference for those living in poverty in our community.

Cube of Books

This PARK(ing) Space will be crammed full of books in the shape of a cube. Through out the day, pedestrians will be encouraged to take a book from the pile for FREE and read it. As the day goes on the cube of FREE books will eventually disintegrate leaving nothing but the parking space behind. Art, interactivity, education and sustainable.

The “Free Hugs” Space

We should show people what it is like to care again, like this video. A team of individuals together to go out and spread the love. http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=hN8CKwdosjE

“Get out of your desk and get moving!”

This PARK(ing) space will encourage Londoners to take a few minutes from their day to experience movement through dance. They’ll develop fancy footwork with some basic tap dancing moves. Pirouette the day away with beginner ballet steps. And stretch their aching muscles with a soothing yoga session. Protected from the street by a theatre backdrop, this miniature dance studio will feature music, yoga mats and a ballet barre.

A Greener Library

London Public Library could transform a parking space into an outdoor library. There would be mobile shelves with “green” books and a check-out station. The meaning behind the space would be to draw people’s attention to the need to be mindful of the environment through reading and educating themselves on environmental issues.

A Creative Space

I’d like to set up a space to encourage people to ACTUALLY create something. I’m proposing something similar to PhoroCircus where people will be invited to create a self-portrait in LEGO which will be photographed and put up on a Flickr page for archival and sharing purposes.

The setup will be a table and chairs and display area. people will be encouraged to do their portrait, but are free to create whatever they want.

The purpose would be to reclaim the spot as an interactive, creative space that encourages participants to rediscover the simple joy of playing with LEGO by sharing and reflecting on their own identity and their relationship to public space.

Parking Peace – Peace and Quiet

Our idea is to recreate John (The Beatles) and Yoko’s ‘Bed In’.  My boyfriend and I will set up a bed, all done in white linens, dress up like John and Yoko and then behind us, instead of ‘Hair Peace – Bed Peace’ we will do ‘Parking Peace – Peace and Quiet’.

We think this would be an awesome idea because just as John and Yoko, we are protesting in a non-violent way for peace (all kinds of peace – world peace,’parking peace’ to promote the message that there should be more community gathering places.  So while we are not actually showing an ‘idea’ of what should be done but instead promoting the general overall idea, silently that everything is always so busy downtown, so we need a space / public spaces to have more ‘peace and quiet’.

We are going to hopefully be using recycled materials to create this, old milk crates to create the base, our own linens, etc.

It will interact with the community and citizens by curving discussion with those who lived through that era (60s 70s) and linking them to now.  People will be wondering what we are doing, and why and this will allow for a great discussion, to get people to really think about these things.

Reading Nook

We envision this space to be a place where people can come to relax, read a good book or magazine, and even take one home with them if needed.

The space will include:

  • 2 Comfy Chairs
  • 1 or 2 Small Bookcases (short ones that won’t tip over on people)
  • Floor Rug

For Safety the area will be sectioned off with either orange pylons, or some other object if we can come up with a more creative idea.

International Peace Day

The space would we dedicated to PEACE!

  • Grass floor to section off space
  • Beautiful flowers, and plants
  • Peace sign symbols created out of recycled material
  • Musician playing music
  • Information that people could read about the International Day of Peace and A Day of Global Seize Fire – Sept 21
  • Interact by inviting people to sit down and read about International Peace Day, enjoy music and peace poetry readings etc.

Organic Lemonade Stand

By donation (to the meter) only. Make real lemonade with organic lemons, non-bottled water, and organic cane sugar. Hand out in small, compostable cups with a biodegradable garbage bag to dispose of waste. Hand out material on relevant topics; eating organic, composting, buying local when possible, slow food movement, local organic businesses (ie: On the Move Organics, Food Co-op, etc.) and any other applicable/related topics.