People played ping-pong within the confines of a parking space and quizzed Prince Charles' garden designer at Islington's Car Free Day on Friday 22 September when local designers turned a parking space into a park or artwork. <br><br>Early morning commuters were puzzled to see a parking space packed with giant bags of six foot tall reed grass as they emerged from Farringdon station from 8am. The tall grass formed the basis for Landscape Designer Jinny Blom's design for the day. <br><br>The designer who numbers Prince Charles as one of her clients explained: 'Just underneath the tarmac we have the earth which people sometimes forget. I wanted people to think about what it would be like on the street if the buildings weren't so dominant or if there was a greater balance between nature and buildings. In among the tall grasses we added small brass stencils of some of the buildings along Farringdon Road and attached them to rods so they could sway among the overpowering grasses. I chose grasses because of the biomass debate. One of the alternatives to fossil fuels is to use Miscanthus a tall reed grass which I have on display here today.'<br><br>Landscape designer Roger Allen and Landscape Architect Helena Rivera were very popular with passers by with their installation of 552 rosemary plants to be given away throughout the day. Helena explained: 'By giving away 552 herb plants to be taken home and planted we were able offset 552 kilos of carbon emissions which equals 1,650 miles of petrol fuel. We want to help make people aware that by changing your habits even a little bit you can have a positive impact on the environment.'<br><br>Helena and Roger gave the plants away to delighted passers-by during the day with information about carbon emissions and with strict instructions that the bearer must plant the rosemary when they got home. <br><br>Marek Gwiazda of Composite Projects Graphic Design Consultancy set up his 10 foot tarot cards as a visual metaphor of the future. He explained his thinking while handing out fortune cookies to passers by: 'I wanted to do something about the future and how everyone can help change the earth's fortune. We drew a giant colourful rose coming out of a mangled mess of grey traffic. If you're a believer something great and beautiful can replace the road.'<br><br>Urban Designer Kathryn Larriva created a Ping Pong Park as a fun way to help people imagine what the street could look like with fewer cars. The park proved very popular in the afternoon when the sun finally shone on Cowcross St for car free day and local workers were able to brush up on their table tennis skills. Others used their pedal power to watch a cycling movie while weary shoppers could have a rest in Matt Nicholls' talking furniture. <br> <br>Cllr Lucy Watt, Islington's Executive Member for the Environment said: 'International Car Free Day is the highlight of Good Going Week which aims to reduce traffic congestion and vehicle emissions by encouraging everyone to walk, cycle or use public transport instead of the car. In the past we've temporarily closed streets off to traffic but this year we're using a different tactic to show people the benefits of swapping their car for other forms of travel.<br><br>'All the designers involved work in Islington and have created a whole set of exciting installations to show us what the cityscape could be like without cars. This isn't only about fighting pollution it's just as much about improving the quality of urban life and beautifying the public realm.'<br><br>Car Free Day is an international event which aims at taking cars off the streets of a city or a target area for all or part of the day to give the people who live and work there a chance to consider how their city might look and work with fewer cars. <br><br>Good Going Week is part of a London-wide campaign which promotes sustainable forms of transports and the benefits of walking, cycling and using public transport and car sharing when this is an option. <br><br>Ends<br><br><br>
Page Last Updated: 17 December 2009