Today is Park(ing) Day, a play on words and on cities themselves in which pedestrians take over the streets and redesign parking spaces as miniature public parks around the United States and even in other countries, but (naturally) on the West Coast in particular.

These activist installations range from quaint and curious to creative and complex – some are simple sod patches with perhaps a bench and a tree while others include lawn chairs, plants and other domestic patio design elements.

The idea is to promote civic engagement – to put the ‘public’ back into the idea of ‘public space’ through interactive, interesting and fun works of spatial design that anyone can do for a day. Of course, they also serve as a visual reminder of just how much space we let our cars displace the rest of the days of the year.