Turning Empty (And Illegal?) Ad Space Into Pop Up Parks In Four Easy Steps

Summertime in New York City means a lot things. Mister Softee; Legs; Fourth of July; Hanging out in the park. It also means time to get your planting on. As seen here in the photos taken last night on the corner of Spring and Lafayette, the numerous white, empty advertising boards at street level—many illegal and now empty due to recent enforcement actions by the DOB—make perfect pop up parks; green graffiti if you will.

Follow the four easy steps below, as shown in the photos, to create your own pop up wall gardens on street level (illegal?) ad space.


First, cut out a triangle shaped area from the plastered paper on the billboard, peel it back and staple it to the wall. Fill the makeshift pot you just created with soil and plant your fauna and flora. Then step back and admire your handiwork, and be happy with your efforts at creating a pleasing experience for others in the community. Here's a photo gallery of the pop up park above.

Theses efforts are not to be confused with Wolly Gardens, who created pop up gardens in at least four locations throughout the city two weeks ago, (the one in Soho is already gone!) with plans to hit more spots as the summer continues. They told Gothamist the gardens are "...gifts to help beautify NYC this summer and encourage New Yorkers to sign up to help plant even more gardens."

In a similar vein, you might recall Posterchild's efforts in NYC, repurposing newspaper boxes as planters.

Related Posts:
Wild Fruits (And Drugs) In Manhattan
Petrosino Park Undergoing Large Scale Improvements
PAC vs NPA: Taking Over Illegal Ads with Illegal Art

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