Park(ing) Day 2012: Photos of the Best Pop-Up Parks From Coast to Coast!

Break out the quarters and roll out the green carpet because it's <a href="http://parkingday.org/">Park(ing) Day</a> - and parking spots around the world are sprouting into <a href="http://inhabitat.com/parking-day-2011-pop-up-parks-spring-up-around-the-world-exclusive-photos/">pop-up public parks</a>! What began as a spontaneous experiment has grown into an international celebration of <a href="http://inhabitat.com/urban-design/">public space</a>, and our team of writers is hitting the streets to bring you the best Park(ing) Day installations from coast to coast and beyond. Read for a peek at this year's pop-up parks from <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/">New York City</a> to Chicago, <a href="http://inhabitat.com/losangeles/">Los Angeles</a> and <a href="http://inhabitat.com/sanfrancisco/">San Francisco</a> and be sure to check back - we'll be updating our post throughout the day!

<em>San Francisco - </em> One of the most impressive Park(ing) Day parks we spotted was this incredible Golden Gate Park miniature golf course by <a href="http://urbanputt.com/">Urban Putt</a>.

<em>San Francisco - </em> Set up in front of <a href="http://www.spur.org/">SPUR</a> in San Francisco, the pint-sized park invited putt-putters to play through three holes.

<em>San Francisco - </em> It event featured an incredibly detailed model of Renzo Piano's <a href="http://inhabitat.com/california-academy-of-sciences-unveiled/">California Academy of Sciences</a> - complete with a <a href="http://inhabitat.com/green-roof/">green roof</a> and <a href="http://inhabitat.com/solar-power/">solar panels</a>.

<em>Los Angeles -</em> <a href="http://www.ahbe.com/">AHBE Landscape Architects</a> set up a plant-lined parklet in LA that encouraged passersby to leave "Parkside Confessions" that express how they use their public space.

<em>Los Angeles -</em> To sweeten the deal, the first 50 Parkside Confessions participants received free ice cream from <a href="http://eatcoolhaus.com/">CoolHaus</a>!

<em>New York City - </em> Over on Museum Mile, Cloud Park popped up in the prime location- a spot right across from the Guggenheim in Manhattan!

<em>San Francisco - </em> <a href="http://www.intersticearchitects.com/">Interstice Architects</a> always amazes us with their inventive Park(ing) Day installations - and this year they blew up hundreds of dazzling blue balloons for their <a href="http://www.intersticearchitects.com/blog/?p=749">Lighter Than Air Park</a>.

<em>Denver - </em> This little Park(ing) Day spot is ocated at 16th and Champa Streets in Downtown Denver, CO. It was Sponsored by Greenprint Denver, part of Denver Mayor Hickenlooper's Sustainable Development Initiative.

<em>San Francisco</em> - Car sharing service <a href="http://www.zipcar.com/">Zipcar</a> set up shop with a couple of comfy orange chairs, Jenga, Connect Four, and free <a href="http://www.itsiticecream.com/">IT'S-IT</a> ice cream sandwiches!

<em>Salt Lake City - </em> The park will be in place all day today and tomorrow for the 21st and 21st Art Festival. It's a great place to enjoy the Salt Lake sunshine and visit local businesses!

<em>Salt Lake City - </em> The parklet is sponsored by Nexus Architectural, 21st &amp; 21st Business District, Salt Lake City Transportation, Biograss, Pangea Ultima, ReBar and Progressive Plants, Inc.

<em>San Francisco - </em> <a href="http://www.bcj.com/">Bohlin Cywinski Jackson</a> set up a parking day spot filled with colorful seats and <a href="http://floragrubb.com/idx/index.php">Flora Grubb landscaping</a> - and then they invited <a href="http://delpopolosf.com/">Del Popolo Mobile Pizzeria</a> and <a href="http://twirlanddip.com/">Twirl & Dip Ice Cream</a> to serve up lunch.

<em>San Francisco - </em> <a href="http://www.bcj.com/">Bohlin Cywinski Jackson</a>'s Packable Park in downtown San Francisco.

<em>San Francisco - </em> <a href="http://www.swagroup.com/">SWA Group</a> Landscape Architecture teamed up with the <a href="http://bentlyreserve.com/">Bentley Reserve</a> to set up a pop-up bocce ball court!

<em>Los Angeles -</em> <a href="http://www.designeastoflabrea.org/">de LaB</a> and <a href="http://www.therarestudio.com/">The Rare Studio</a> set up an eye-popping <a href="http://softpublics.com/">Soft Publics</a> parklet made from modular graphic pieces that combine to layer colors, shadows, and light. The park takes its design cue from the very essence of Park(ing) Day and ties into the themes of movement, including lack of dedicated green spaces and accessibility to parks, while adding a focus on locally sourced organic ingredients and fresh eating.

<em>San Francisco - </em> The <a href="http://www.cca.edu/">California College of the Arts</a> teamed up with <a href="http://alitedesigns.com/">Alite Designs</a> and the <a href="http://www.curiosityshoppeonline.com/">Curiosity Shoppe</a> to host an awesome lawn lounge complete with comfy <a href="http://www.alitedesigns.com/monarch-chair.html">Monarch Chars</a>, a BBQ, and a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornhole">cornhole</a> bean bag game.

<em>New York City - </em> Located on Lexington Avenue at 68 th Street in NYC, GUAPA, or the graduate student organization of the Dept of Urban Affairs and Planning at Hunter College, took back the street, building a sitting area just across from the 6 train entrance.

<em>San Francisco - </em> The park by <a href="http://alitedesigns.com/">Alite Designs</a>, <a href="http://www.curiosityshoppeonline.com/">Curiosity Shoppe</a>, and <a href="http://www.cca.edu/">CCA</a> also featured a cozy teepee and an adorable corgi puppy.

<em>Chicago - </em> <a href="http://www.urbanhabitatchicago.org/">Urban Habitat Chicago</a>'s Park(ing) Day park got rained out, but here's a shot of the parklet before the storm descended.

Here's a few words from Lee Bouchard of Urban Habitat: <p><em> "Our inspiration is simple- replacing just a small amount of asphalt with greenery can have a big impact on our quality of life. A space reserved for a car is stolen from a child.... And every inch of asphalt means dirty stormwater down the drain (and into our lakes), instead of rainwater filtering back into our water table. Asphalt also is a huge component of the urban heat island effect.<p> Even on this rainy parking day, the trees in our park are pumping out oxygen to combat the car exhaust, and the green view is pumping out smiles on the passers-by!"<em>

<em>San Francisco - </em> 6th grade students from <a href="http://www.sffriendsschool.org/">San Francisco Friends School</a> set up a park complete with paper flowers, colorful art, and cupcakes for passersby!

<em>San Francisco - </em> <a href="http://sfenvironment.org/">SF Environment</a> rolled out their energy generating bicycle to power a boombox for their 2012 Park(ing) day spot, which raised awareness for the upcoming <a href="http://inhabitat.com/san-francisco-to-expand-ban-on-plastic-bags/">San Francisco plastic bag ban</a> in October.

<em>San Francisco - </em> <a href="https://www.citycarshare.org/">City Car Share</a> set up a fun Park(ing) Day retreat complete with a giant connect 4 board, Jenga, hula hoops, and magazines.

<em>Salt Lake City - </em> Residents of Salt Lake City created this park at 21st East 21st South.

<em>Philadelphia</em> - <a href="http://www.drexel.edu/">Drexel University</a> M.S. Architecture + Design Student Anne Lapins sent us photos of her team's parklet in Philadelphia, which <a href="http://thegalleriesatmoore.wordpress.com/2012/09/13/2012-parklet-design-challenge-winners/">won a competition</a> hosted by <a href="http://www.moore.edu/">Moore College of Art & Design</a>!

<em>Philadelphia</em> - Missy Halberstadt, Anne Lapins, Megan Place and Kristen Stephen installed their sPARKING CREATIVITY parklet at 20th & Race St. in Center City, Philadelphia. It was constructed from recycled <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/shipping-pallet/">shipping pallets</a> and featured seating made from repurposed cardboard carpet tubes and pool noodles.