Urban Spaces: Pop-Ups

Source: popupcity.net

Picnurbia: An Urban Picnic Landscape, Vancouver, BC, Canada, 2011 designed by Loose Affiliates

the temporary landscaping project aims to address the shortage of decent public spots for urbanites to gather, relax and picnic. Picnurbia consists of a 28 meters long and 4 meters wide ‘über-picnic-blanket’, comprised of an undulating wooden structure covered with yellow artificial lawn. Nine large umbrellas create shadowed spaces for people to rest while five tables offer opportunities for picnics and events.  -- the Pop-Up City

Source: inhabitat.com

PARK(ing) Day 2009 Transforms Parking Spaces Into Public Parks, San Francisco, California, USA, 2009

Park(ing) Day! Parking space invasion day! The day to roll out some sod, fire up the barbeque, and set out in the street like it’s your front porch. -- Inhabitat

Source: popupcity.net

Chicago Pop-Up Park, Chicago, Illinois, USA by Joe Baldwin/Altgeld Sawyer Corner Farm

Many of you might have heard of pop-up park iniatives such as Park(ing) Day, which involves the transformation of urban parking spots into little pop-up parks. Joe Baldwin, founder of arts advocate organization Noisivelvet, must have thought that this can be done better. In conjunction with the Altgeld Sawyer Corner Farm, he turned nearly an entire Logan Square street block into a 3,000 square feet urban park for four hours. On the website of Time Out Chicago, Baldwin explains which preparations had to be made to get the job done. The funny thing is that his intervention was totally legal thanks to a Block Party Permit.  -- the Pop-Up City

Source: Nancy Stone chicagotribune.com

parklets, Chicago, Illinois, USA, 2012 designed by the dSpace Studio

Does it make sense to turn on-street parking spaces into miniature urban parks and plazas where people can sit, eat, check their mobile phones, read a book, take a catnap or watch the world go by?

Chicago is about to find out. With the blessing of Mayor Rahm Emanuel, the city now has two of these miniparks, called "parklets" elsewhere and dubbed "people spots" by officials here. -- Cityscape

Source:  japantrends.com

The Green Island

What would the streets from Japan look like if it was covered in fields of green. It’s a touch retouching project, a collaborative effort between Ryo Taguchi, Imakawa and Yuichiro Imamur. -- Dustbowl

Source: MRGNT Flickr/Genaro Alva

Invasion Verde, Lima, Peru designed by architects Genaro Alva, Denise Ampuero, Gloria Andrea Rojas and industrial designer Claudia Ampuero

as part ofGran Semana de Lima - also known as Lima's Great Week. A number of public activities are planned and will be complimented by a series of select installations positioned around the city. Invasion Verde was one of five selected artistic interventions chosen out of 137 proposals for Lima’s Great Week. Located along the paver-lined Pasaje Encarnacion, the works gives a pop of color as well as an easily accessible public outdoor seating and play space. The undulating mini-hills are covered in natural grass, recycled tires are planted with flowers and grass and mounted on stool legs, serving as fun outdoor chairs. Recycled plastic is also used as sculptural pieces throughout the park, which is planted entirely with drought tolerant plants. -- inhabitat