Updated at 9:33 a.m., Thursday, September 20, 2007
Parking space downtown to turn into temporary park
Advertiser Staff
The Trust for Public Land (TPL) will transform a metered parking space at 212 Merchant St. into a temporary public park tomorrow.The 160 square-foot downtown area space will feature turf, trees and seating. Pedestrians are invited to stop in for a bit of shade and relaxation between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.
TPL employee Kevin Chang (singer for local group Kupa'ina) will treat passers-by to 'ukulele music.
The park's purpose is to generate excitement about public open space and celebrate some important recent accomplishments of TPL and partners. During 2006-2007, TPL has conveyed more than 33,700 acres into public ownership, from Moanalua Valley near Honolulu to Wao Kele o Puna on the Big Island.
More than 30 cities across the country will get a bit greener on Park(ing) Day as temporary parks crop up in downtown areas. TPL is sponsoring National Park(ing) Day 2007, a concept created by San Francisco art collective Rebar (www.rebargroup.org). In 2005, Rebar created its first "PARK(ing)" project by transforming a metered parking spot into a temporary public park, briefly expanding the public realm and improving the quality of urban human habitat (at least until the meter ran out).
