This past Friday (Sept 16, 2016) was Park(ing) Day, and South Orange joined hundreds of other towns around the world in transforming asphalt into green space for the day. The action is simple – take a parking space or two that is normally reserved for cars and turn them mini-parks for the day. Why? Because it shows just how valuable and easy it is to have small pieces of nature within an urban landscape. Once the mini-park is installed, all you have to do is have fun!
For us, it was perfect weather for Park(ing) Day. It wasn’t too hot or too cold…and it wasn’t too sunny or too cloudy. The actual construction of the mini-park (also known as a parklet) started at 9:30am and only took about an hour and half once we had all the ingredients at the site. However, getting all the materials together that morning started around 6am…and the planning to make the parklet a reality took nearly six months.
First Timers
This was the first time South Orange participated in Park(ing) Day though it has been actively happening annually since 2005. Our parklet was pretty straightforward. We rolled sod out onto two parking spaces directly in front of Tito’s Burritos and Wings on W South Orange Ave in the downtown area of South Orange. We had twenty native plants and one beautiful river birch to decorate the area. Eventage, a local business, loaned us outdoor furniture and one of the town’s trustees pitched in by bringing a big red umbrella to the site.
For us, it was perfect weather for Park(ing) Day. It wasn’t too hot or too cold…and it wasn’t too sunny or too cloudy. The actual construction of the mini-park (also known as a parklet) started at 9:30am and only took about an hour and half once we had all the ingredients at the site. However, getting all the materials together that morning started around 6am…and the planning to make the parklet a reality took nearly six months.
First Timers
This was the first time South Orange participated in Park(ing) Day though it has been actively happening annually since 2005. Our parklet was pretty straightforward. We rolled sod out onto two parking spaces directly in front of Tito’s Burritos and Wings on W South Orange Ave in the downtown area of South Orange. We had twenty native plants and one beautiful river birch to decorate the area. Eventage, a local business, loaned us outdoor furniture and one of the town’s trustees pitched in by bringing a big red umbrella to the site.
 This is 700 sqft of sod in the back of my truck. |  First rolls of sod being installed |
All in all, we laid out 700 square feet of super healthy tall fescue sod. It covered two parking spaces as well as some of the sidewalk. The simple act of putting grass were people typically see asphalt was magic. Pedestrians, at first, wasn’t sure if they should step on the grass or walk around it. Cars passing by stared at the green turf as if it was a unicorn with wings. Even as we started to roll out the grass, one of the volunteers helping us said to me, “I don’t know about this….” Oy!
By the time the sod was nearly finished, that same volunteer was raving about just how awesome it was and that the act of transforming a small corner of South Orange had a huge positive impact. That’s the thing about green space and our typical surroundings, we don’t always know and can’t visualize how a small change can redefine a place. Small changes are sometime the biggest challenges, because the inertia to “not change” is as great for little steps as larger ones. The time commitment to accomplish a tiny move forward is as much as jumping far ahead. All of this adds up to more risk for less reward, and who wants to put in so much work for a bit of success? That’s the beauty of Park(ing) Day, it offers people a reason to do a small effort for one day as a part of a larger movement to show real results. Small successes have a tendency to grow in momentum. People like to see things accomplished. I feel like our parklet was a big success even if it was for only two parking spaces for a short period of time.
By the time the sod was nearly finished, that same volunteer was raving about just how awesome it was and that the act of transforming a small corner of South Orange had a huge positive impact. That’s the thing about green space and our typical surroundings, we don’t always know and can’t visualize how a small change can redefine a place. Small changes are sometime the biggest challenges, because the inertia to “not change” is as great for little steps as larger ones. The time commitment to accomplish a tiny move forward is as much as jumping far ahead. All of this adds up to more risk for less reward, and who wants to put in so much work for a bit of success? That’s the beauty of Park(ing) Day, it offers people a reason to do a small effort for one day as a part of a larger movement to show real results. Small successes have a tendency to grow in momentum. People like to see things accomplished. I feel like our parklet was a big success even if it was for only two parking spaces for a short period of time.
This is 700 sqft of sod rolled out.
Transformation, Not Traffic
As we planned the parklet, one of the big concerns was that we were going to put it on South Orange Ave. The throughway is notoriously busy with traffic and cars speeding down it. As a highway, it stretches from Newark all the way west to Morristown. I’ve heard lots of people express that it doesn’t feel safe, and that traffic calming measures should be taken.
I hung out at the parklet the entire day of Park(ing) Day and it’s amazing how it almost made the traffic seem non-existent. Not only that, the parking spaces we turned into a grassy mini-park are less than 50 yards from an overpass for the NJ Transit commuter trains. During weekdays, multiple trains race by every hour. I only noticed the train once throughout the day. It wasn’t that the sod and native plants somehow dampened the sound of the cars or trains. It was that the atmosphere of the mini-park turns your focus away from the noisy infrastructure that surrounded us.
As we planned the parklet, one of the big concerns was that we were going to put it on South Orange Ave. The throughway is notoriously busy with traffic and cars speeding down it. As a highway, it stretches from Newark all the way west to Morristown. I’ve heard lots of people express that it doesn’t feel safe, and that traffic calming measures should be taken.
I hung out at the parklet the entire day of Park(ing) Day and it’s amazing how it almost made the traffic seem non-existent. Not only that, the parking spaces we turned into a grassy mini-park are less than 50 yards from an overpass for the NJ Transit commuter trains. During weekdays, multiple trains race by every hour. I only noticed the train once throughout the day. It wasn’t that the sod and native plants somehow dampened the sound of the cars or trains. It was that the atmosphere of the mini-park turns your focus away from the noisy infrastructure that surrounded us.
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Kids would stop by the parklet and feel compelled to roll around in the grass. We even had a bunch of folks do push-ups together for the 22 push-ups for 22 days for Veteran’s Awareness on PTSD. People were visiting the parklet throughout the entire day, so new conversations were launched every few minutes or so. I met a ton of people last Friday. We all talked about how much we love living in South Orange and how the community is the most valuable asset of the town. The beauty of the parklet was that it shows that we enjoy and need somewhere to slowdown and see other people.
How it Happened
I can’t say enough about how many people helped make the parklet happen. From volunteers to setup the day of to people being supportive about the idea to the partnerships made with local businesses and folks in the local government, everyone made it possible. The South Orange Environmental Commission is where it all started. The commission’s support of the idea was what got everything kicked off. Also, people like Walter Clarke, Jim McGowan, Matt Glass, Bob Zuckerman and Patricia Canning all gave something to turn the idea into a reality. Tito’s Burritos and Wings and Mike Caldarella were a huge help by sponsoring of the event. As I mentioned, to get the sod on the ground took about 6 months of planning. We had to talk to multiple town departments and staff around permits and requirements. We had to get the ok from Essex County to occupy part of the road and sidewalk. We had to raise some money to buy all the sod and plants and tree. All of this took lots of talking and moving forward in little bity tiny steps. I wasn’t sure we’d make it happen at points.
How it Happened
I can’t say enough about how many people helped make the parklet happen. From volunteers to setup the day of to people being supportive about the idea to the partnerships made with local businesses and folks in the local government, everyone made it possible. The South Orange Environmental Commission is where it all started. The commission’s support of the idea was what got everything kicked off. Also, people like Walter Clarke, Jim McGowan, Matt Glass, Bob Zuckerman and Patricia Canning all gave something to turn the idea into a reality. Tito’s Burritos and Wings and Mike Caldarella were a huge help by sponsoring of the event. As I mentioned, to get the sod on the ground took about 6 months of planning. We had to talk to multiple town departments and staff around permits and requirements. We had to get the ok from Essex County to occupy part of the road and sidewalk. We had to raise some money to buy all the sod and plants and tree. All of this took lots of talking and moving forward in little bity tiny steps. I wasn’t sure we’d make it happen at points.
Next Year is Afoot
Success breeds success. We are already talking about next year and how we can give parklets a bigger presence in the downtown area. South Orange is a dynamic, growing community of passionate individuals and families. We all want the spirit of places like New York City to live here too. We all want to see amazing things happening around every corner. With this inaugural Park(ing) Day in South Orange being a big success, I’m hoping to make the town more sustainable and fun all at the same time for years to come.
Success breeds success. We are already talking about next year and how we can give parklets a bigger presence in the downtown area. South Orange is a dynamic, growing community of passionate individuals and families. We all want the spirit of places like New York City to live here too. We all want to see amazing things happening around every corner. With this inaugural Park(ing) Day in South Orange being a big success, I’m hoping to make the town more sustainable and fun all at the same time for years to come.
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