Learning Landscape Architecture through Park(ing) Day
“We need you to design a mini park that can fit in two adjacent parallel parking spaces.”
This was the design challenge we gave to our summer interns this year at Keller Mitchell & Company in observance of Park(ing) Day, 2021, an international event where participants appropriate public parking spaces to create “parklets” or tiny parks, and other kinds of installations that facilitate community interaction and engagement. We wanted our interns to learn about landscape architecture, not only by participating in the design process, but by getting to participate in and experience an event that embodies some of the values that undergird the products of our industry. We want to utilize this event to demonstrate to our interns and to the public that well-designed spaces, even spaces as small as a parking space, can make a huge positive difference in every community. The internship program
kicked off on June 7 of this year, and our two young interns dove right into the world of Landscape Architecture, researching famous historical designers and projects, visiting construction sites, then working together to research past Park(ing) Day installations and other urban parklets, and to develop a parklet design of their own. Through the charrette process they learned drafting and lettering, drew plans, sections, and elevations, and researched and specified plants and materials for their design.
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