Agencies will transform downtown Silver Spring parking spaces into a temporary, pop-up park with a simulated separated bike lane at Fenton Street and Wayne Avenue
SILVER SPRING, MD – Montgomery Parks, the Montgomery County Planning Department, both part of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) and Montgomery County Department of Transportation invite the public to celebrate PARK(ing) Day on September 16, 2016 by stopping by a pop-up park situated on parking spaces in downtown Silver Spring.
The pop-up park, open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., will include a simulated separated bike lane, games such as a large-size Jenga and life-size Scrabble, seated massages and more, courtesy of the Planning Department and Montgomery Parks. The parklet and bikeway will be located at the corner of Fenton Street and Wayne Avenue and will feature plants, seating, and the bean bag toss game, Cornhole.
PARK(ing) Day is an annual event held on the third Friday in September. Cities around the globe celebrate it to encourage discussion around issues related to urban infrastructure, including the role of open space, transit and the environment. Although the Silver Spring pop-up park is temporary, it promotes the idea of urban open space and encourages people to get more involved in the civic process to influence how public space is created and improve the quality of urban areas.
“PARK(ing) Day is a fun way to get people thinking about alternative uses for public space such as transforming parking spaces into parks,” says Casey Anderson, Chair of the Montgomery County Planning Board and Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. “Bringing an ordinary parking space to life with greenery, activities and new transportation options, such as a bikeway, can help people visualize how we can take advantage of existing space in new and better ways. We should be thinking about these issues all year long – not just on one special day.”
The event will showcase the Planning Department’s Bicycle Master Planning team as they demonstrate how a separated bike lane would look with stationary bicycles in place in the parking space. Building more separated bike lanes around the County has been part of the discussion during the meetings on the Bicycle Master Plan. This plan will provide recommendations on improving connectivity and bicycle facilities throughout the County. Learn more about the Bicycle Master Plan.
About PARK(ing) Day:
PARK(ing) Day was invented in 2005 by Rebar, a San Francisco-based art and design studio to invite people to rethink the way streets are used and to promote discussion around the need for broad-based changes to urban infrastructure. Since its inception, the event has grown rapidly and in 2011 included 975 “park” installations in more than 160 cities on six continents. Park(ing) Day is an “open-source” project initiated by Rebar, but built by independent groups around the globe who adapt the project to advance creative, social or political causes that are relevant to their urban conditions.