Black Friday Parking 2016 Recap
This year's #BlackFridayParking event was a success! More than 650 tweets and 1.5 million impressions on Twitter means we reached a huge audience. We also had quite a bit of interaction on Facebook and Instagram (40+ posts and dozens more comments on each platform). This year, several participants got creative and posted, not just photos, but also videos, panoramic images and photo collages.
What I love about Black Friday Parking is that it's an accessible entry-point to Strong Towns. It invites our friends who follow us on social media but might not be aware of Strong Towns to wonder why there's suddenly a photo of a parking lot on our social media feeds, especially when everyone around us is tweeting pictures of Thanksgiving feasts and Starbucks holiday drinks. #BlackFridayParking begins a conversation and points out something that's right in front of our eyes (empty parking lots) that so many of us never think about.
Thank you to everyone who participated in this fourth annual #BlackFridayParking event. I hope it sparks an ongoing conversation in your community about how to make better, more productive use of space. We've got lots of resources to help you with that.
Below are some favorite tweets and instagram posts from the #BlackFridayParking feed on November 25:
#BlackFridayParking with my dog at the Target lot in Silver Spring, MD. Lot ~65% full @clmarohn @StrongTowns pic.twitter.com/BVztOUHPm7
— Sean Emerson (@FourCornersSean) November 25, 2016
At the top of the Dillard's garage. I think they may have overbuilt the parking. #BlackFridayParking pic.twitter.com/nMTCSGIZMK
— Andrew Mayer (@scallop_potato) November 25, 2016
#blackfridayparking in So. Miami. Absurd parking requirements, in zoning, coating the planet in asphalt. @StrongTowns @clmarohn @RikAdamski pic.twitter.com/woJtoFkHQw
— Victor Brandon Dover (@VictorDover) November 25, 2016
#BlackFridayParking Before & After:
— Erik Reader (@Erik_Reader) November 26, 2016
Kmart - Pekin, IL 2014 vs 2016 pic.twitter.com/SW2teEw2Lw
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(Top photo by Strong Towns contributor, Alexander Dukes. See more of his #BlackFridayParking photos.)
Sixty letters of opposition from local advocates in Grand Rapids, MI, halted an irreversible decision: the teardown of five downtown buildings for surface parking lots.