PARK(ing) Day is a annual open-source global event where citizens, artists and activists collaborate to temporarily transform metered parking spaces into temporary public places. Since 2005, PARK(ing) Day has evolved into a global movement, and Asakura Robinson’s Austin office, together with the Austin Community Design and Development Center, Code Studio, Rhode Partners, the Austin Center for Design, and the Habitat for Humanity Restore was pleased to participate this year. The group’s installation centered around a pressing issue in Austin, affordable housing, and used a series of housing experts to provide all-day programming in the space. More about the concept:
Off-street parking requirements are coming into question in cities across the country as transportation technology evolves, shared transit becomes common, and urban populations change. Parking requirements that are not in tune with these changes can increase development costs, rising housing prices for residents, and create excess parking on valuable urban real estate. In Austin, developable central city land is hard to find and there is a shortage of varied and affordable housing options. The Asakura Robinson team’s PARK(ing) Day installation examined the opportunities presented by changing the way we think about parking spaces.
The installation, consisting of a small apartment replicated on two street parking spaces on Congress Avenue, was meant to draw attention to the large amount of parking and the lack of affordable housing in Austin. Supporting graphics explored affordability, land use, parking perceptions, and development costs. Experts in the housing field spoke throughout the day and included former City of Austin Council Member Chris Riley; Director of Operations for Austin Habitat for Humanity, Greg Anderson; and Jake Wegmann from the University of Texas School of Architecture.