Today Rotterdam is celebrating Park(ing) Day, which sounds like a lot of pun fun. The city of Rotterdam is letting people take over a parking spot for free and camp out on it, as if it were a park. And to sweeten the deal, the rules of a park apply to the parking spot.

Park(ing)Day is part of Happy Streets, yet another let’s-use-English-rather-than-Dutch named event (where ‘happy’ often sounds like ‘hippie’ when some Dutch people pronounce it) lasting the entire weekend in order to promote ‘sustainable mobility and a better use of public spaces’.

The city will also feature yet another let’s-give-it-an-English-name-to sound-cool event called Walk’in Rotterdam, where people can take a stroll along various uncommon parts of the city with a knowledgeable guide who I bet will tell their stories in the country’s main language.

And Sunday is another why-use-Dutch-go-for-English event called Open Streets when streets will be car-free and feature other merriment.

Yes, this is a picture of Amsterdam.

(Link: www.ad.nl)

This prim little garden can be found at the Hygiea Square in Amsterdam. Guerilla garden is perhaps too strong a word for something so small and neat.

When I passed the zoo in Amsterdam yesterday, I spotted these metal statues on a grassy plot near the Nijlpaarden bicycle bridge. There are a T-rex, a centaur, a woman carrying a basket on her head, a monkey and others. I don’t think this is an official display, considering the unkept area it was in, but the people of the neighbourhood seemed to enjoy the little ad hoc park.

I haven’t been able to find out who made them, so any hints are appreciated.

These metal and plastic grass lounge chairs in the Valkenbergpark in Breda were made by designer Lisette Spee and architect Tim van den Burg, who hope to be able to make more of them.

(Link: Designboom. Photo: Tim van den Burg.)

Artist collective Uitschot came up with this wooden game console called Gameboom (Game tree) in 2005.

Cut and installed for the first Day of the Park in Leiden. Location: Cronesteynpark across the water playground. For: city children who are allergic to nature, get dragged along by their parents but would rather game. Detail: functioning slot.

(Link: BoingBoing.)