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Depaving
Depaving is a new term which denotes the act of removing asphalt or concrete pavement and reclaiming the space for recreational uses such as a park or community garden. City Repair[1], a Portland, Oregon, nonprofit organization pioneered the concept in 2007, and it has spread to other U.S. communities.
Heavy Lifting
Unfortunately, it’s much easier to lay pavement down than it is to take it out. The physical process is laborious, the removed pavement is hard to dispose of, and most zoning regulations and building codes make it difficult to remove once paving is in place. Decommissioning a parking lot or underused street for environmental reasons is a lengthy and difficult process, but apparently worth the effort to urban dwellers who foresee the green space benefits that await.
During Summer 2009, City Repair depaved six parking lots, converting them to parks and gardens. They employ a small army of volunteers to remove pavement and load it into trucks.
Los Angeles Gets into the Act
A Los Angeles organization called North East Trees[2] has also utilized the depaving concept. One of the group's project areas is converting paved areas within public schools to environmentally sustainable spaces. In addition, several years ago the group completed the Bimini Slough Ecology Park[3], which was funded and is now operated by the Bresee Foundation. They closed and decommissioned a street, with major support from the neighborhood, City of LA, and Bresee Foundation, and designed and built a small park, turning an area better known for traffic, trash and blight into a quiet escape that treats its own stormwater.
Bronx Basketball Court Becomes Community Garden
In 2009, a New York City youth group known as Aspira dismantled a parking lot turned abandoned basketball court into an extension of a community garden. The group was then asked by Columbia University to help survey a wide swath of the South Bronx for other empty lots that can be turned into vegetable gardens.[4]
ALSO ON THE LIVABLE STREETS NETWORK
REFERENCES
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[3] Bimini Slough Ecology Park website
[4]
PICTURE REFERENCES
Pictures are cited in the order they appear above. Please keep citation style consistent.
[1] Portland depaving project. Photo by BikePortland.org via Flickr.
[2] Portland depavig project. Photo by BikePortland.org via Flickr.
FURTHER READING
KEYWORDS
pavement removal, asphalt, concrete, park, green space,
