Tom Bailey Jr. - The Commercial Appeal -

For seven hours on Friday, Downtown will offer at least 16 new parks thanks to the sacrifice of 16 on-street parking spots.

The parks will offer a human library, table tennis, live music, bicycle lanes, an unusual seesaw and more.

Sixteen Memphis organizations and businesses are participating in the international Park(ing) Day, sponsored locally by Memphis Regional Design Center, Memphis College of Art, Downtown Memphis Commission, city of Memphis and AIA Memphis.

The event invites urban dwellers to convert metered parking spots into temporary parks as a celebration of good urban design.

The mini-parks, on Peabody Place between Front and Second, will be fleeting, lasting from 11 a.m.-6 p.m.

The proposals include:

— Interactive activities, like foosball and pop-a-shot, as well as some give-aways, by the Memphis Grizzlies;

— Photos of local residents who are serving in the military, by Fogelman Downtown YMCA;

— An abbreviated bike trail representing the route from Shelby Farms to Overton Park, by Livable Memphis;

— A desert oasis with free belly dancing classes, by Downtown Memphis Commission;

— A taste of the riverfront, complete with storyteller, by Riverfront Development Corporation;

— A place for meditation on the value of good urban design, by Memphis Regional Design Center;

— A giant papier-mâché catfish and more, by Mississippi River Corridor;

— Demonstrations of how a fully occupied MATA bus reduces demand for parking and air pollution, by Memphis Area Transit Authority and the Health Department;

— An intimate concert venue, an art studio and a recreation hub featuring table tennis, by Habitat for Hope;

— A pasture, by Shelby Farms Park Conservancy;

— A miniature roller derby rink, by Elizabeth Brown and Leandra Urritia;

— A human library "where passersby can stop and 'check out' a person for a short conversation,'' by Crosstown Arts;

— A sleek parking facility for bikes named "bikeit here," by Askew Nixon Ferguson Architects;

— A demonstration of urban art being painted by four artists, followed by an auction of the art, by UrbanArch Associates;

— A showcase for the work of video artist Christopher Miner paired with music of Voodoo Village, by the arts organization Odessa;

— And a seesaw made from used car parts, by brg3s architects.

 -- Tom Bailey Jr.: (901) 529-2388