Downtown Santa Monica welcomes you to Park(ing) Day
September 21, 2018
Downtown Santa Monica welcomes you to Park(ing) Day

Partners with Mobility Companies, Advocacy Community & City's Cultural Division to Bring The "Streets of the Future" to Life

 

WHAT: Park(ing) Day is a worldwide annual event in which people are encouraged to reclaim and transform valuable urban real estate dedicated solely for the automobile into a multi-purpose gathering space for people to interact, relax and experiment. It's a day to think about the future of Downtown Santa Monica and how we would like to see our urban environment evolve. What is the range of possibilities for creativity in a space usually dedicated to the storage of a private vehicle?

 

To celebrate Park(ing) Day, Downtown Santa Monica has partnered with mobility companies Waze Carpool, Bird and Lyft, as well as the Santa Monica Spoke and the City of Santa Monica Cultural Affairs Division for one of the largest Park(ing) Day activations in the region. These sponsors have each created their own parklets that will reimagine what our beloved urban space could one day look like through a unique theme, "Streets of the Future":

 

·       Waze Carpool presents "In Motion": Waze Carpool is about bringing community to people on the move. Whether heading to work or in between meetings, taking the time to stop and recharge is not easy. This street of the future creates spaces that makes it easier to keep going. Enjoy a moment for yourself and others helping you get from A to B.

 

·       Bird presents "Goodbye Parklet, Hello Greenery": A parklet can help us get one step closer to the street of the future by providing a designated place for riders to not only park their Birds, but to also take a moment to relax and enjoy their surroundings. Rather than fighting the heat of the concrete streets, people can relax in a comfortable, functional space, designed especially for Bird riders, bikers, and pedestrians.

 

·       Lyft presents "Flower Bomb": As we move to a future where car ownership is a thing of the past, Lyft wants to spark people's imagination of how much more beautiful and awesome our cities could be if we weren't so dependent on these parking spots. When we change the way we move, we change the way we live.

 

·       Santa Monica Spoke presents "SM Spokes Loves Park(ing) Day": Santa Monica is a leader in mobility and active transportation, and Santa Monica Spoke and the Santa Monica Safe Street Alliance are dedicated to education, encouragement to promote safe, livable, and sustainable streets that are welcoming to everyone and strengthening our community. Together with its partners, Santa Monica Spoke advocates for safer streets and invests its resources to provide education and encouragement for healthy, active and safer transportation so our mobility and transportation systems safely and equitably serve all Santa Monica residents and visitors. 

 

·       City of Santa Monica Cultural Affairs Division presents "Fantastical Vehicles": How would you get around Santa Monica and beyond in the absence of cars? In this workshop, people can make their own fantastical miniature vehicles out of recycled materials such as cardboard, fabric, beads, bottle caps, plastic and other found objects. Creations can be as inventive as the imagination allows! The vehicles will be incorporated into an interactive installation called "Creatures on the move!" by artist Molly Allis, and the installation will be featured in Santa Monica's COAST open street festival on Sunday, Oct. 7. Come invent with us! For more information on COAST, visit smgov.net.

 

Please take a seat, enjoy the mini-parks and share your thoughts on the streets of the future. 

 

WHEN: Friday, September 21, 10:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m.

 

WHERE: Arizona Avenue between 2nd and 3rd Streets (North Side), Downtown Santa Monica

 

For more information visit www.downtownsm.com.

 

About Downtown Santa Monica, Inc.

Downtown Santa Monica, Inc. is a private non-profit 501c(3) that works with the City of Santa Monica to manage services and operations in Downtown Santa Monica that promote economic stability, growth and community life within Downtown Santa Monica. DTSM, Inc. manages the Property-based Business Assessment District (PBAD) that encompasses the area bounded by Ocean Avenue (W), Wilshire Boulevard (N), Lincoln Boulevard (E) and the Santa Monica Freeway (S).