It’s Time to Reclaim the Curb: Celebrate PARK(ing) Day Friday!

Tomorrow's (PARK)ing Day festivities in San Francisco are likely to be much grander than in years past, with dozens of locations mapped out across the city as spots where metered parking spaces will be transformed into temporary public parks, and other uses, for people, instead of automobiles. Temporary parks are also being planned in locations all over the Bay Area.

By Bryan Goebel

7:28 PM PDT on September 17, 2009

PARK(ing) Day 2008. Flickr photo: plaid iguana

Tomorrow’s (PARK)ing Day festivities in San Francisco are likely to be much grander than in years past, with dozens of locations mapped out across the city as spots where metered parking spaces will be transformed into temporary public parks, and other uses, for people, instead of automobiles. Temporary parks are also being planned in locations all over the Bay Area.

A majority of spots in the city will be set up along the Valencia Street corridor and Civic Center. The SFBC plans a demonstration of on-street bicycle parking in front of Four Barrel Coffee and Bi-Rite Market while in North Beach the Great Streets Project will showcase “the future of what an official ‘flexible parking space’ will look like” in front of Caffe Roma and Caffe Greco.

Although 34 San Francisco locations are highlighted on the official PARK(ing) map, there are probably a lot of other locations that haven’t been reported. Unlike cities such as New York and Santa Monica, San Francisco does not require a permit, which allows it to be “a little looser,” said Matthew Passmore of Rebar. “The overall climate is pretty permissive.”

So what are your plans tomorrow? Let us know! And please add your photos to our Flickr feed.

Bryan Goebel

Bryan Goebel is a reporter at KQED Public Radio in San Francisco. A veteran journalist and writer, he helped launch Streetsblog SF in 2009 and served as editor for three years. He lives car-free in the Castro District.