For a day, new perspectives on the city

09.2013Design, Firm news, Places

By Leah Patgorski

A group from Strada collaborated this month to create a project for PARK/ing Day.

[PARK/ing Day is an annual event where people take over parking spots for one day and convert them into miniature public parks. Read about its origins here.]

The discussion kicked off in Pittsburgh’s pop-up patio on Strawberry Way, where the group schemed over lunch about what kind of park to create. Ideas crystallized around fostering social interaction and introducing people to new views of the city. With flooring material donated by Shaw, boxes donated by floral shop Mocha Rose, cardboard tubes from Tri-State, and chairs lent by the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, the installation came together. Makeshift walls supported a collection of handmade viewfinders, highlighting sights such as the steeple of Smithfield United Church traced in thread, a worm’s eye view, and a streetscape overrun with monsters.

With a little time and not a great deal of money, Strada’s installation for PARK/ing Day championed the artful use of urban space for the benefit of the community. City decision-makers, we hope you are taking notes on the creative adaptations of small parcels of pavement demonstrated annually by this event.

Group meeting to locate the perfect downtown site

Grace and Purva setting up on Friday morning

Plenty of passersby were curious about our viewfinders

Viewpoints around our “park” were labeled with information about the architecture in view