Businesses and nonprofits took over 36 Lenox Square mall parking spots Sept. 15 to install their interpretations of a mini-park in the second annual “PARK(ing) Day” event.
Livable Buckhead organized the local version of “PARK(ing) Day,” which takes place nationwide. It began in San Francisco in 2005, when a local design firm rented a metered parking spot and created a mini-park with sod, a park bench and a tree. Since then, the event has spread to other cities around the U.S. The idea behind the event is make the area less car-oriented, at least temporarily, and get people thinking about parks in an urban environment.
Anna Sharp, Livable Buckhead’s client accounts manager for transportation demand management, said the event was almost doubled in size since last year.
“People are really interacting with the booths and I think it goes to show people enjoy having urban spaces,” Sharp said at the event.
AMLI Residential, a real estate company, had plants available for people to pot a plant and take it home with them. (Evelyn Andrews)The Blue Heron Nature Preserve, located on Roswell Road in Buckhead, brought pieces of the preserve to their booth, which won the “Meanest Greenest” award. They tried to represent all the environments at the preserve: meadow, creeks and wetlands, said Kevin McCauley, the organization’s executive director. (Evelyn Andrews)Two goats, named Ivy and Esteban, from the herd that clears the land used for PATH400 made an appearance. Goats from this heard have also helped clear Mountain Way Common. (Evelyn Andrews)Monica Buchanan and Sherrie Sutton sit among green streamers, meant to represent an “infinite forest”, at HGOR/Collins, Cooper and Carusi’s interactive booth. HGOR, a local landscape designer, won both the “People’s Choice” and “Most Creative” awards. (Evelyn Andrews)Jessi Gordy from the Atlanta History Center displays a historic photo of a farmer’s market in Buckhead on Piedmont and Roswell roads. The Atlanta History Center booth displayed about 30 photos of historic Atlanta and Buckhead. (Evelyn Andrews)Shahrzad Nadizadeh gets ready to hit a golf ball at Lenox Square/Simon Properties’ booth at PARK(ing) Day. Nadizadeh lives nearby and said she thought the event is “a really cool concept.” This booth won the “Most Buckhead” award. (Evelyn Andrews)Daniel Snider, the founder of a new organization called the Pillyr Foundation, plays chimes in his booth, which won the “Most Interactive” award. Pillyr advocates for “good urbanization”, including walkability and public spaces. The group chose to hang chimes because they wanted an interactive booth that immersed people in sound. It was a small social experience, as the founders watch booth visitors to see if they would follow chalk arrows on the ground or go random directions. (Evelyn Andrews)Students in Kennesaw State University’s tactical urbanism class and event visitors relax on concept outdoor furniture made by students. KSU’s booth won the “Most Unusual” award. The furniture is meant to be a place where people can pause and think. The colors are meant to draw people’s attention while the modular shapes can be arranged in many directions, students Camila Hellebuyca and Kishan Desai said. (Evelyn Andrews)Stephanie Stephens tosses a bean bag as she plays a round of cornhole at the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper’s booth. The group advocates for the protection of the river and the drinking water the river supplies. (Evelyn Andrews)Matthew Wilder, a landscape architect at Pond and Company, a firm designing the proposed Wieuca and Phipps roundabout, sits among plants at his company’s booth, which was inspired by the Lurie Garden in Chicago’s Millennium Park. (Evelyn Andrews)The Georgia Conservancy, a group that works to protect the state’s national resources, set up a booth with tent and cooler to highlight the hiking, paddling, camping and service trips the group offers. Leah Dixon and Carden Barkley manned the booth. (Evelyn Andrews)
