I just received an email from the property owner and we have been granted permission to host Park(ing) Day 2009 on the People's Parking Lot!
Planning will commence soon. Please let me know if you would like to help in the process or, more importantly, want to build your own mini park on the lot.
Park(ing) Day is September 18th.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Brave New World
A local architect and documentary filmmaker recently brought a segment of the upcoming AIA Design for Livability: Sustainable Cities conference, entitled Brave New World, to my attention.
In their call for proposals, the AIA writes that appropriate presentations will give "the opportunity to learn from radically different ways of thinking and problem-solving." This is, obviously, a wide-open topic that appeals us involve at People's Parking Lot. In case you missed the last post, our interests are myriad and, in all honesty, a bit overwhelming. An architect and active participant in all PPL endeavors summed up our mission today as to make empty/abandoned spaces into public-use/productive spaces (even if it is temporary).
The aforementioned gentleman's work meshes nicely with this mission statement. His current documentary project focuses on the Danish anarchist squatter group, Christiania. From the documentarian's website:
Christiania: Our Heart is in Your Hands tells the story of the “free state” of Christiania, a 36-year-old anarchist squatter community occupying an abandoned military base in the heart of Denmark’s capital, Copenhagen.
Christiania was born in 1971 when youthful idealism and a severe housing shortage incited hundreds of young people to “storm the gates” and claim 85 acres of deserted brick buildings, woods, ramparts and canals as their home. Finding it politically unpopular to evict the young settlers, the Danish government declared Christiania a short-term “social experiment.”
With the freedom to experiment, the Christianites built a distinct culture based on group consensus, and a thriving economy of restaurants, bars, cottage industries, and an open hashish trade. In every respect, Christiania became an alternative that challenged, inspired, and frightened the society outside.
36 years later, Christiania is still alive, despite increasingly uneasy relations with the Danish government, which plans to “normalize” Christiania. After years of struggle and compromise, many say that the end is near for this famous “social experiment”.
Christiania: Our Heart is in Your Hands explores this crisis from varied perspectives; longtime Christiania residents, government and police officials who argue the legality of Christiania’s occupation, and the Danish people, who view Christiania as a symbol of freedom that they both cherish and fear.
As of our last conversation, he is considering putting together a presentation and perhaps a panel for the AIA conference. Ideas for the panel have included assembling activists/writers/designers/etc. who have worked with squatter communities/tent cities/homeless and artists with an active interest in the occupation of disused spaces. If this sounds like you, please contact me and I will put you in touch with him.
In their call for proposals, the AIA writes that appropriate presentations will give "the opportunity to learn from radically different ways of thinking and problem-solving." This is, obviously, a wide-open topic that appeals us involve at People's Parking Lot. In case you missed the last post, our interests are myriad and, in all honesty, a bit overwhelming. An architect and active participant in all PPL endeavors summed up our mission today as to make empty/abandoned spaces into public-use/productive spaces (even if it is temporary).
The aforementioned gentleman's work meshes nicely with this mission statement. His current documentary project focuses on the Danish anarchist squatter group, Christiania. From the documentarian's website:
Christiania: Our Heart is in Your Hands tells the story of the “free state” of Christiania, a 36-year-old anarchist squatter community occupying an abandoned military base in the heart of Denmark’s capital, Copenhagen.
Christiania was born in 1971 when youthful idealism and a severe housing shortage incited hundreds of young people to “storm the gates” and claim 85 acres of deserted brick buildings, woods, ramparts and canals as their home. Finding it politically unpopular to evict the young settlers, the Danish government declared Christiania a short-term “social experiment.”
With the freedom to experiment, the Christianites built a distinct culture based on group consensus, and a thriving economy of restaurants, bars, cottage industries, and an open hashish trade. In every respect, Christiania became an alternative that challenged, inspired, and frightened the society outside.
36 years later, Christiania is still alive, despite increasingly uneasy relations with the Danish government, which plans to “normalize” Christiania. After years of struggle and compromise, many say that the end is near for this famous “social experiment”.
Christiania: Our Heart is in Your Hands explores this crisis from varied perspectives; longtime Christiania residents, government and police officials who argue the legality of Christiania’s occupation, and the Danish people, who view Christiania as a symbol of freedom that they both cherish and fear.
As of our last conversation, he is considering putting together a presentation and perhaps a panel for the AIA conference. Ideas for the panel have included assembling activists/writers/designers/etc. who have worked with squatter communities/tent cities/homeless and artists with an active interest in the occupation of disused spaces. If this sounds like you, please contact me and I will put you in touch with him.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Bay Area Inspiration and Back to Seattle
As you probably know, the name of this website comes from Berkeley's own People's Park. Today's typical barrage of emails regarding this lot and other empty space projects around Capitol Hill has again turned my attention to the San Francisco Bay area.
First, a story about several projects taking place on empty lots in San Francisco. One, which is facilitated by Rebar, the creators of Park(ing) Day, even shares two-thirds of its name with our humble little project here in Seattle.
Secondly, another story that addresses empty lots in SF and other cities around the country, Seattle included. Evidently Urban Visions allowed vendors to set up a BBQ in a lot "one block from...Pike Place Market" back in May. I'll be getting in touch with them shortly.
Here in Seattle, we're still keeping busy with:
1) Park(ing) Day: I sent the proposal to Murray Franklyn yesterday. We have requests out for help with cheap insurance and grants to pay for it.
2) Madison and Terry: We're hoping to transform the grassy swath along Madison into something, and utilize the Virginia Mason wall mockup for that something. Maybe it's a garden and a shed or maybe it's a bike sharing node? The owner is in NYC and I have yet to receive a response.
3) Empty Retail for Artists: I'm working on a google map that shows spaces for lease, while also speaking with agents at CBRE and Catalyst (hopefully soon; this week?) about getting some activity in their empty spaces. Check out the Google Map (work in progress) in the sidebar.
4) 11th and Pine: Everyone seems to have a soft spot for this poor vacant building. The owners, at least as far as I can tell from public records, are Pryde + Johnson. They develop "green" buildings but don't seem to be having much luck lately: Hjarta Condos are now apartments and Ashworth Cottages are largely empty. Not that this means they will or should allow us to use their space -- I was thinking some temporary gardens on the roof? -- but I figure that a progressive sort of developer might be open to the possibility. We'll see.
View Larger Map
That's it for now, I think. As always, email, facebook, twitter with ideas or concerns.
First, a story about several projects taking place on empty lots in San Francisco. One, which is facilitated by Rebar, the creators of Park(ing) Day, even shares two-thirds of its name with our humble little project here in Seattle.
Secondly, another story that addresses empty lots in SF and other cities around the country, Seattle included. Evidently Urban Visions allowed vendors to set up a BBQ in a lot "one block from...Pike Place Market" back in May. I'll be getting in touch with them shortly.
Here in Seattle, we're still keeping busy with:
1) Park(ing) Day: I sent the proposal to Murray Franklyn yesterday. We have requests out for help with cheap insurance and grants to pay for it.
2) Madison and Terry: We're hoping to transform the grassy swath along Madison into something, and utilize the Virginia Mason wall mockup for that something. Maybe it's a garden and a shed or maybe it's a bike sharing node? The owner is in NYC and I have yet to receive a response.
3) Empty Retail for Artists: I'm working on a google map that shows spaces for lease, while also speaking with agents at CBRE and Catalyst (hopefully soon; this week?) about getting some activity in their empty spaces. Check out the Google Map (work in progress) in the sidebar.
4) 11th and Pine: Everyone seems to have a soft spot for this poor vacant building. The owners, at least as far as I can tell from public records, are Pryde + Johnson. They develop "green" buildings but don't seem to be having much luck lately: Hjarta Condos are now apartments and Ashworth Cottages are largely empty. Not that this means they will or should allow us to use their space -- I was thinking some temporary gardens on the roof? -- but I figure that a progressive sort of developer might be open to the possibility. We'll see.
View Larger Map
That's it for now, I think. As always, email, facebook, twitter with ideas or concerns.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
More Temporary Art
From the Office of Cultural Affairs, a list of temporary art projects around Seattle.
Art + Gardens
In Burien.
I have yet to visit the B /IAS project but will head down there this week to see some of this goodness with my own eyes.
I have yet to visit the B /IAS project but will head down there this week to see some of this goodness with my own eyes.
Art in Vacant Buildings II
Just ran across this post about developers leasing vacant buildings in South Lake Union to artists. I didn't see any information about specifics but I like the idea.
On that note, I've been in touch with a friend at CBRE who is going to explore how this sort of arrangement might work for some other empty spaces. If you're an artist and looking for temporary space, send me a message and I'll add you to the list we are compiling.
On that note, I've been in touch with a friend at CBRE who is going to explore how this sort of arrangement might work for some other empty spaces. If you're an artist and looking for temporary space, send me a message and I'll add you to the list we are compiling.
Bcycle
One idea for a small portion of the Pine lot has been a bike-sharing station. Maybe it could start out as something small or maybe we could go straight for the full-fledged, euro-styled Bcycle system. I bet if Mike McGinn were elected mayor, he would be open to exploring an option such as this.
This video starts itself; click on it to pause.
This video starts itself; click on it to pause.
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