1. Hamburger PARK(platz)Tag

The streets of St. Pauli will be dotted with small green oases on Hamburg’s PARK(platz)Tag, to be held on September 22, 2012, in conjunction with the Reeperbahn Festival. Several parking spaces on one location next to the Reeperbahn will be converted into public parks and green areas. Following the example of Park(ing)Day, which originated in New York and is now observed around the world, PARK(platz)Tag participants will take back the streets for one day and transform them into leisure and recreational areas. On Hamburg’s first PARK(platz)Tag, the streets of St. Pauli will feature lawns, deckchairs, and music in place of asphalt, cars, and exhaust. What’s this all about? Very simple: there are only 12.5 square meters of public park space per Hamburg resident—in highly concentrated parts of the city, like St. Pauli, this number is even lower—as compared with 15 square meters of public street- and traffic zones. PARK(platz) Tag is an opportunity to examine the role of public space and scrutinize the use of streets and public areas. Hamburg streets will be “retaken,” making room for new urban leisure and recreational areas as well as space for communication and exchange. Places that are usually inaccessible will be opened up, and life will return to the streets. The project demonstrates how the quality of urban life can be enhanced and showcases the creative ways parking spaces can be converted to different uses.

Each of the temporary “PARK(ing) spaces” in St. Pauli will offer something different. And there’ll be deckchairs for sunbathing, cool drinks, barbecue, play areas for children, and live music by local street bands. Plus plenty of space to relax.

The exact location can only be found by roaming the streets of St. Pauli, so be sure to wander by.

PARK(ing) Day 2010 © Rebar