Members of Students for Design Activism turn a San Francisco parking spot into a mini-park earlier this year. A similar effort will take place at the U of M Sept. 17.
Photo courtesy of SDA.
U of M landscape architecture students to turn parking spot into temporary park Sept. 17
PARK(ing) Day calls attention to the importance of urban open space
Contacts:
Laura Weber, College of Design, l-webe@umn.edu, (612) 625-6566
Jeff Falk, University News Service, jfalk@umn.edu, (612) 626-1720
A group of students in the U of M College of Design’s department of landscape architecture will turn a parking spot into a temporary green space from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 17. The group, Students for Design Activism, is participating in PARK(ing) Day to address cultural and environmental issues through an engaging and educational design of urban space.
PARK(ing) Day is an annual, worldwide event with the goal of inspiring city dwellers to transform metered parking spots into temporary parks for the public good.
In particular, the student’s installation will demonstrate the effective use of plants in treating urban runoff before pollution enters waterways such as the Mississippi River.
The students will be “parking” Pillsbury Drive Southeast near the University of Minnesota Field House on the East Bank campus.
Students for Design Activism is a new official student organization on campus. Anyone interested in learning more or being a part of this initiative can stop by the PARK(ing) Day event or get in touch with Anna Lawrence, the group’s president, at lawr0176@umn.edu.
For more information, visit the students’ PARK(ing) Day profile at http://my.parkingday.org/profile/StudentsforDesignActivism.