September 6, 2010

A Grass-Roots Charity Parks It Anywhere to Reclaim Green Space

Turning Parking Spaces Into Green Spaces 1

Photograph by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Here, a man works on his laptop while sitting on the makeshift lawn he created in a metered parking space in Los Angeles.

By Richard White

Five years ago, a San Francisco art and design studio temporarily transformed a metered parking space into a public park—complete with a potted tree, a patch of grass, and a bench—as a way to advocate for more green spaces. That peaceful protest has since sparked an international movement, with volunteers creating 700 temporary “parks” in 140 cities in 21 countries, according to the studio.

The design studio, Rebar, continues to oversee the mostly volunteer