Friday 31 August 2012

Financial Support for Park(ing) Day


EcoFriendly Sask is pleased to support Saskatoon’s first-ever Park(ing) Day events on September 20-21 with grants of $350 each to Our Saskatoon and The Stall Gallery.

Park(ing) Day is an annual event that turns metered parking spots into temporary public parks. The event is designed to promote complete streets that are people- and environmentally-friendly.

Our Saskatoon: A Sustainable Creative City is One Act Away
Our Saskatoon is promoting complete streets in Riversdale by creating safe bike lanes and turning an empty lot into a public square with green space, public seating, pop-up retail stores, and entertainment (everything from storytelling to yoga and movies).

The Stall Gallery 
The Stall Gallery is planning art activities and displays. They are partnering with SCYAP and other professional artists to create a mural portraying urban food gardens and pedestrian/bike-friendly streets. They are also developing a brochure for visiting school classes with 12 different environmental projects based on happenings around the Better Block/Park(ing) Day project.

Parking Day Kick-off, Sept. 20 
Ken Greenberg, one of Canada’s leading urban designers, will be launching Saskatoon’s first Park(ing) Day at 6:30 pm on September 20 at the Broadway Theatre. Greenberg’s book, Walking Home: The Life and Lessons of a City Builder, is well worth reading.

The event will also include a Park(ing) demo, art performances, live music, wine and cheese. Free tickets for the September 20 event can be reserved on Picatic.

Interesting Reading
The Next Generation of DIY Urbanism: So Much Cooler than Parklets
Tiny Games in Public Spaces
Better Streets: Assisting San Franciscans to make street improvements
Complete streets policies spreading quickly