A global event geared at reclaiming urban, developed environments will invite the people of downtown Lawrence into temporarily reimagined parking stalls while provoking conversation about the land we dedicate to vehicles.
Park(ing) Day originated in 2005 as a single installation from Rebar Art and Design Studio in San Francisco and has since evolved into a global phenomenon.
Creative installations act as interventions in public parking spaces, as the project “highlights issues like climate change, road safety, and mobility equity, offering a platform for reimagining streets as greener, safer, and more equitable spaces for people,” according to the international Park(ing) Day website.
The event will take a local bent in downtown Lawrence from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26 with four parallel parking stall installations embodying the theme of “The Third Place.” The stalls are a product of close collaboration between numerous downtown businesses, Multistudio and KU Master of Urban Planning and Master of Architecture students.
According to co-organizer Hayden Grone, an Accelerated Master of Urban Planning student at KU, “third places” encompass physical locales where people congregate, outside of homes and work environments.
“This can be your favorite local coffee shop, outdoor shop, thrift store, restaurant, park, or just a public bench,” Grone wrote via email. “We hope that Park(ing) Day sparks further conversation about how much space we dedicate to the automobile, and how we may reimagine parking stalls to improve the quality of life for residents and visitors alike.”
Event collaborators also aim to draw attention to the downtown parklets, often known as patios, where folks can convene and consume outside of local businesses such as 715 Restaurant, Mass St. Fish House, Papa Keno’s Pizzeria, The Bourgeois Pig, The Burger Stand, The Sandbar and more.
Though the parklets will not host installations, they have circulated in conversations about downtown development for years.
Tyler Lindquist, vice president and office administrator for Multistudio, felt that Lawrence’s 2019 Park(ing) Day paved the way for conversation about the parklet initiates. Multistudio worked on the pilot program in 2020 to promote business during COVID, and again when the city established a permanent program.
Learn more about Lawrence’s Park(ing) Day event and view a map of all relevant locations here.
To view a global map of Park(ing) Day events and learn more about urban transformation on an international scale, see here.
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Wulfe Wulfemeyer (they/them), reporter and news editor, has worked with The Lawrence Times since May 2025. They can be reached at wulfe@lawrencekstimes.com.
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