Skip to content

Countdown to Park(ing) Day 2008

On September 19, New Yorkers will stake their claim to some of the city's most valuable, yet cheapest, real estate in celebration of Park(ing) Day. For the uninitiated, Park(ing) Day entails the reclamation of public space by setting up temporary parks in on-street parking spots.
1427233224_b49a200fda_b.jpg

One week from today, on September 19, New Yorkers will stake their claim to some of the city’s most valuable, yet cheapest, real estate in celebration of Park(ing) Day.

For the uninitiated, Park(ing) Day entails the reclamation of public space by setting up temporary parks in on-street parking spots. Here’s the skinny on the 2008 edition from the Park(ing) Day NYC web site:

This year, Park(ing) Day NYC will double the fun with double the locations: 50+ parks in the Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan and Queens.
In addition, park builders are putting new emphasis on site-specific
designs that will reflect the social, cultural and architectural
contexts in which they’re situated, as well as generate innovative
proof-of-concept designs for permanent public space reclamation.
Seating areas, art installations, and community engagement will all
make the case for a more sensible and human-friendly distribution of
available urban public space.

Park(ing) Day 2008 will be followed on October 18 by Park(ing) Day REDUX, featuring a rebuild of selected spots along with photos and other media from this year’s event, in front of EYEBEAM Art and Technology Center on 21st Street.

With more locations to choose from this year, and Summer Streets having whetted appetites for car-free street space, can NYC finally outdo San Francisco in (Park)ing Day participation?

Photo: Keka Marzagão via Sustainable Flatbush/Flickr

Photo of Brad Aaron
Brad Aaron began writing for Streetsblog in 2007, after years as a reporter, editor, and publisher in the alternative weekly business. Brad adopted New York'’s dysfunctional traffic justice system as his primary beat for Streetsblog. He lives in Manhattan.

Read More:

Streetsblog has migrated to a new comment system. New commenters can register directly in the comments section of any article. Returning commenters: your previous comments and display name have been preserved, but you'll need to reclaim your account by clicking "Forgot your password?" on the sign-in form, entering your email, and following the verification link to set a new password — this is required because passwords could not be carried over during the migration. For questions, contact tips@streetsblog.org.

More from Streetsblog New York City

‘Unacceptable’: Mamdani Condemns Super Speeder Cop, But Won’t Commit to Action

April 24, 2026

City Officials Shrug at NYPD Cop’s Reckless Driving As Advocates Push ‘Stop Super Speeders’ Bill

April 24, 2026

Friday Video(s): Kidical Mass, Night-Biking in Tokyo, and More

April 24, 2026

That Widely Misrepresented E-Mobility Study Actually Reveals Need For Safer Streets, Not Hysteria

April 24, 2026
See all posts