WILMINGTON — Yesterday, a parking space. Today, a park.
A metered spot on Front Street between Chestnut and Grace streets in downtown Wilmington has been transformed, for today only, into greenspace in recognition of Park(ing) Day, held worldwide to strike attention to the perceived need for urban parks.
Wilmington Downtown Inc. (WDI), in partnership with Coastal Landscape Architects and UNCW’s Master of Public Administration program, has paid the meter to occupy the spot all business-day, according to a release from WDI, an economic development group focused on the downtown area.
John Hinnant, WDI’s CEO, said this is the third year his group has participated as its strategic plan calls for more greenspace and urban parkland.
“The year-round residents here are really looking for a place where they can take their kids and they can walk their dogs,” Hinnant said, adding that the beautification would have a ripple effect. “People are going to want to make their properties look good because they’ve got this nice-looking amenity next to them.”
He said the riverfront downtown could be the perfect strip for added greenspace.
According to https://parkingday.org, the annual event began in 2005 when a San Francisco art studio called Rebar converted a metered, downtown parking spot into a temporary public park. The concept, to challenge urban areas to come up with new planning visions, today is repeated in countries around the world, according to organizers.
