Parking lots are a lose-lose for urban planners. Without them, drivers not wanting to fight for a spot would be deterred from venturing downtown, and cars that do make the trip would clog up streets where they park instead. But when they’re not housing cars, that’s valuable space that could be used for public gatherings that’s just sitting empty. In Belgium, Volkswagen is looking for ways to make better use of existing public spaces as cities expand and get more crowded, and its first attempt at that – “Volksparking” – has just been launched.

Working with researchers at MIT and Dutch experience design agency Unbranded, DDB Brussels installed this basketball hoop in a parking lot in Ostend, Belgium, turning any empty spot into a mini-court perfect for a pick-up game. When a car parks in front of it, sensors set the hoop in motion along a track until it finds the next empty spot.

[iframe_youtube video = “asqk3-fqFyE”]

The company is currently looking at other areas the net could be deployed, or other things that concept could be applied to, like picnic tables, pop-up skate parks or even small markets.

Credits:

Brand: Volkswagen
Agency: DDB Brussels
Creative Directors: Peter Ampe & Odin Saillé
Concept Creation: Peter Ampe
Copy & Art Direction: Rom&John
FR copy: Jonathan D’Oultremont
Startegy: Dominique Poncin & Maarten Van Daele
Account team: Sylvie De Couvreur, Silvie Erzeel, Filiz Temur & Anneleen Vande Voorde
Digital Production: Stefanie Warreyn & Maarten Breda
Graphic designer website: Sven Verfaille
Development website: Christophe Gesquière
Production company: Geronimo
Director: Jan Boon
Producer: Mathias Kerner
PR: Kenn Van Lijsebeth & Jean-Marc Ponteville
Studio: Sebastien Tirot, France Cleves, Benjamin Hiffe & Adam Kozlowski
Activatie bureau (persmoment): Lapin Quotidien