CasaSugar

Park(ing) Day: 10 Hints For Your Own Park

CasaSugar — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 07:00:12 -0700

Last week, I told you all about my plans for Park(ing) Day. Now an international event, Park(ing) Day turns parking spots in urban areas into temporary parks, as a way to highlight the need for green spaces in cities, as well as to show how much physical room cars take up.

My Sugar friends and I had a great time at Park(ing) Day! Since several of you told me that your interest was piqued, and that you might want to participate in this event next year, I thought I'd give you some tips on how to make your Park(ing) Day as easy and stress-free as possible.

To see my tips, as well as a huge gallery of photos, read more.

Educate yourself on the history of Park(ing) Day before you're at your park. Here's a good place to start.
For step-by-step directions, download a PDF manual.
Be friendly! People may know what your park is about, or they might have no idea why you're putting down sod in a parking spot. Tell them about the reasons behind Park(ing) Day, and invite them to join you.
Make friends with traffic cops and meter maids. The friendlier you are, the harder it will be for them to be stern. And in fact, the traffic cop across the street from my park was incredibly nice and loved the park!
Sod is heavy. And dirty. Plan accordingly. You should wear something that can get grubby, and also bring gloves. Make sure to lay down a tarp in your parking spot before you start rolling out your sod.
Activities are fun, but you might spend nearly the whole day talking. I brought Scrabble and bocce ball to my park, but most of the time I was explaining Park(ing) Day to people or shooting the breeze.
Bring friends! Not only will this divvy up your workload, but it will leave someone at your park while you run to the bathroom or grab lunch.
People love treats. I brought a ton of candy with to the site, but the big hit of the day was a bowl of tomatoes that had been picked fresh from my garden. Another park was making fresh smoothies!
Have a plan for your sod. I posted the sod for free on Craigslist, and almost all of it was taken away by the man that responded to my post.
Make sure to have change for the meter, and most importantly, remember to have fun!

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Midday Muse: What's Old Is New Again

CasaSugar — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 12:00:37 -0700

Yesterday, I told you about the passing of famed landscape architect Robert Royston. Royston's concern for the public's need for green spaces is perfectly expressed in this video, which explains the ideas behind the 1955 construction of Palo Alto's Mitchell Park.

What really strikes me about this video is that half a century later, the same issues that Royston outlines in the video (which he narrates) are even more important. Public space, access to nature, community gathering places, and spaces in which one can exercise and reinvigorate are necessary for our health and well-being. What's the park situation in your town?

Check Out Casa's Park(ing) Day Park!

CasaSugar — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 10:00:44 -0700

Did you make it to a Park(ing) Day Park on Friday? Several CasaSugar readers stopped by my park on Howard Street in San Francisco, and I spent the entire day chatting with friends and friendly strangers. While I didn't get time to check out a lot of the other parks, I did hear some rumors about some cool spots, including a beach park with a swimming pool and a park that was giving salsa lessons at noon.

Since I knew that most of you were scattered all over the country and world, I had a Sugar pal put together a video with some footage from the day. It was definitely a lot of fun, and I encourage all of you to think about building your own parks next year!

Midday Muse: Are You Going to Park?

CasaSugar — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 12:00:21 -0700

As you know, I'm heading out on Friday to set up my own San Francisco park for Park(ing) Day. But Park(ing) Day isn't just happening in San Francisco, it's happening all over the world! Keep an eye out for parks that seem to pop up overnight, because one might be showing up in your town on Sept. 19. To see what Park(ing) Day looked like last year in New York City, watch the video below!

How-To: Build Your Park(ing) Day Park

CasaSugar — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 16:00:38 -0700

On Friday, I'm going to be in downtown San Francisco transforming an ordinary parking spot into a lush, green temporary park. Since Park(ing) Day is happening in cities all over the world, you might want to think about creating a temporary park in your town. To find out how, watch the slideshow! Source

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Casa Verde: Bring Back the Drinking Fountain

CasaSugar — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 07:45:48 -0700

Have you noticed that water fountains are few and far between, at least in the United States? I feel as if when I was a little kid, they were a lot more accessible in public places. My library even had one, which is more than I can say for my neighborhood library now. What's ironic about this fact is that the first water fountains were installed in Berkeley, where I live!

Luther Haws, a part-time plumber and sanitary inspector for the city of Berkeley, was inspired to invent the drinking fountain in 1906, when he noticed school children drinking out of the same tin cup. This germ swapping seemed to him to pose a potential health hazard. So, Haws set to work building the first modern drinking fountain out of spare plumbing parts, the ball from a brass bedstead, and a self-closing rabbit ear valve.

Now that everyone's starting to realize that plastic water bottles are terrible for the environment, I propose a return to the use of water fountains. They're sanitary, convenient, and in the case of many (including this one), occasionally beautiful works of art. Not only will it cut down on plastic use, it'll also help to do something equally important: foster a sense of community in your neighborhood or city.

Eco Chic: Walk Score

CasaSugar — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 11:00:57 -0700

One of the best ways to stay in shape and give the planet a break from carbon emissions is by walking. In my old neighborhood, I walked and biked everywhere with my dog, since nearly everything was easily accessible, from the farmers' market to the public library to my favorite cafe. In my new neighborhood, there's a pretty major hill to contend with (actually the steepest street in the East Bay), as well as about a 3/4-mile walk each way to just get to the cafe or grocery store. I still do this walk about three or four times a week at least, but it's not really a neighborhood stroll - it's an expedition.

Curious about my new hood, I went to Walk Score, which calculates the walkability of an address, essentially measuring how easy it is to live without a car, or with minimal use of a car, in that particular neighborhood. My old neighborhood is the top map, while the new one is one the bottom. Just from looking at the map you can see that my old neighborhood has a lot more cafes, markets, libraries, gyms, etc., within walking distance.

To find out my neighborhoods' Walk Scores, as well as how this service works, read more.

If you want to see how walkable your neighborhood is, just enter your address. Walk Score will then pull up a map of your neighborhood, identifying all of the neighborhood ameneties, and scoring your neighborhood between 0 and 100. Here's the interpretation for the score:

90 - 100 = Walkers' Paradise: Most errands can be accomplished on foot and many people get by without owning a car.
70 - 90 = Very Walkable: It's possible to get by without owning a car.
50 - 70 = Some Walkable Locations: Some stores and amenities are within walking distance, but many everyday trips still require a bike, public transportation, or car.
25 - 50 = Not Walkable: Only a few destinations are within easy walking range. For most errands, driving or public transportation is a must.
0 - 25 = Driving Only: Virtually no neighborhood destinations within walking range. You can walk from your house to your car!

My old neighborhood scored a 75, while my new one scored only a 46! I'd have to agree with Walk Score's assessment; even though I walk in my neighborhood a lot, lugging a backpack of groceries back up 3/4 a mile of a steeply pitched road isn't my idea of fun. Usually when I do this walk, it's just to pick up a DVD or grab an iced coffee.

How does your neighborhood score? Go find out!

Source

Artists Plan to Freeze a Vacant Detroit Home

CasaSugar — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:00:27 -0700

This Winter, photographer Gregory Holm and architect Matthew Radune plan to freeze one of the thousands of abandoned homes in Detroit to draw attention to the city's foreclosure crisis. The house will be sprayed with water and gradually covered in ice, and Holm will photograph its transformation for the project, called Ice House Detroit. The property that's chosen will be one that is already due for demolition, because it is fire damaged or dangerous to the public. After the freezing, the duo will work with Architectural Salvage Warehouse Detroit to salvage what they can from the house to be recycled. It will then be demolished, and they hope to donate the lot to a group like Greening of Detroit or Earthworks Urban Farm to be used as a community garden or other public space.

I'm sure these four frozen walls and a roof will stand out against the landscape of thousands of other vacant homes throughout what was once Motor City. But it's not Detroit natives who need a reminder of the plight of the city, which is why it's nice to see that this project, not yet begun, is getting attention on a national stage. I'm intrigued to see Holm's photographs of the house in frozen form.