Tulsa observed international Park(ing) Day on Friday with 13 groups putting up temporary parklets in downtown parking spaces.
Tulsa’s Young Professionals has marked it for several years, and the Downtown Coordinating Council got involved in Park(ing) Day last year. DCC Executive Director Brian Kurtz said the temporary spaces for meeting friends, playing games or just relaxing are good to see in a booming downtown.
"You can see the cranes, you can see the development happening, but to come down and walk down the street and see these really fantastic pop-ups and activations, it helps people think differently about the way we use our public spaces," Kurtz said.
The DCC awarded $100 microgrants to 10 of the 13 organizations that put up the parklets to help get make their ideas a reality.
Tulsa’s Young Professionals Executive Director Maggie Hoey took in all 13 of the temporary parks, seeing a Peanuts-themed parklet with a see-saw and Lucy football kick, a wading pool, and an arts and crafts station.
"I’m inspired by people’s creativity today. The rain didn’t damper the attendance at all. There’s art installations, there’s coworking stations, some people even built some really incredible structures that are out here," Hoey said.
Hoey said Park(ing) Day is a chance to draw people out to see the good things that are happening within the Inner Dispersal Loop.
"And everybody who’s walking by, it’s a chance to educate them on things that we think downtown could use," Hoey said.
Hoey says while urban settings are a draw for young professionals, downtown Tulsa is lacking green space they also look for.
Next year, Park(ing) Day will fall on 918 Day, so Hoey is hoping people start thinking ahead.
