Little Parks Display Big Creativity on PARK(ing) Day
On October 1, nearly 30 businesses and organizations transformed the Lenox Square Mall parking lot into a green tribute to Atlanta’s lush tree canopy, complete with a patchwork of pop-up parks flanked by 100 trees brought in specifically for this event, one of the Southeast’s largest PARK(ing) Day celebrations. This was the sixth year that Livable Buckhead has hosted a local PARK(ing) Day event, joining a global project to temporarily convert parking spaces into creative places for art, play and activism.
The theme for Buckhead’s PARK(ing) Day 2021 celebration was “Where We Play,” and more than two dozen local businesses and organizations constructed mini-parks with features ranging from a Zen garden to flower walls and bee hives to a collaborative mural installation. Parks also featured interactive elements for the public, including Spin e-scooter safety training sessions, e-bike demonstrations and a putting green.
Participating businesses and organizations put their creativity on display, competing for awards in a variety of categories.
- People’s Choice: Beck Group –Beck Group was at the top of their game by constructing a sustainable and creative park which featured games for guests including checkers and Connect 4 under a canopy of repurposed campaign signs.
- Meanest Greenest: Spin – Visitors were invited to take a ride on the green side at Spin’s transportation safety hub where organizers hosted demonstrations on scooter and bike safety among its custom-designed furniture.
- Go Play!: Urban Enterprises – Goats, bunnies and pigs, oh my! Guests couldn’t get enough of Urban Enterprises’ temporary petting zoo with chickens, bunnies, goats and more.
“Every year our participants find a way to top themselves,” said Denise Starling, executive director of Livable Buckhead. “I really appreciate the hard work and creativity that everyone put in to make PARK(ing) Day such a success.”
PARK(ing) Day was sponsored by Audi Atlanta, Simon Properties/Lenox Square, The Beck Group, Legacy Parking, Spin Scooters, Urban Enterprises, Tower Wine & Spirits.
