MID CITY, Calif. – Workers are rolling out some green turf to cover the concrete and creating a usable outdoor space right on the side of a busy street in what many would say is a valuable parking spot.

But Henry Van Moyland of Mid City West Community Council disagrees. His goal is to bring more public gathering spaces to our neighborhoods, which is the mission of Parking Day.

“People take over parking spaces and show everybody what the possibilities are,” says Van Moyland.

It is an international event where people reclaim parking spots as public spaces. Cities around the world will see chairs, tables, and tents popping up in their streets for one day only. Van Moyland says this goes beyond the single event.

“We have to look to the future. It’s not about what’s happening now or parking perceptions now,” says Van Moyland.

He says the community council is focused on transportation and street scape issues, so they used their funds to create three of these parklets in the neighborhood. Van Moyland says this is part of a bigger initiative to show that streets are for people, not just cars, and that with new technology parking spaces may not even be needed in the future.

“Autonomous vehicles, public transportation, rideshare, all these things are making parking less important. We have all this space in which we can do incredible,” says Van Moyland.

Toasted and Roasted, the coffee shop right behind the parklet, supported the idea. They actually partnered with the Mid City West Council and lent some furniture. Owner Ali Dickison says she is fortunate to have a parking lot in L.A., so it wasn’t a big deal to lose the spot. She says the pros out way the cons.

“If we add more green space and safe places for families to hang out and people to meet and interact, the world would be a better place,” says Dickison.

And this is exactly why Van Moyland thinks Parking Day is needed, to show the benefits of community spaces.

“It emphasizes our neighborhood as a pedestrian area where our streets are places for people as well as just cars,” says Van Moyland.

Van Moyland is happy to bring the community together one parking space at a time. Parking Day is September 20, 2019 and most parklets will be taken down around 4 p.m.