Demonstration Sites

A demonstration according to Wikipedia involves showing by reason or proof, explaining, or making clear by use of examples or experiments. As part of the Green Lines Parks and Commons Initiative, we are trying to demonstrate and spotlighting great examples of  how a park, commons, plaza, or green space could be used?

We are working to examine how the public comes to a commons and what encourages them to gather, to claim, and to utilize a space?  We are examining what makes commons great?  As part of this explorations we are also investigating what constitutes a park? Do we need every green space to be a large public park with playground equipment and lots of seating or could a nice bench in a shaded area with a few planters also serve as a respite and an oasis in an urban environment.  When we combine public parks with smaller green oasis does the larger density of green commons provide us with added benefits?

This investigation  is part of a grand experiment in which a community minded public artist works in collaboration with a non- profit arts organization and a major institution and community stakeholder to imagine the possible and move the theoretical conversations into reality.

For our purposes we will examine other models of urban green spaces and we will reflect on how they could work in Minnesota, while at the same time creating  new lighter, quicker, cheaper examples based on our own trials and experiment and this blog will act as a resource and guide for our findings.


Early research led us to the Rebar group which  has lead the way in new thinking about public space and parks through their work on Park(ing) Day  http://parkingday.org/ and their latest work on parklets.

http://rebargroup.org/embarcadero-opening