Congratulations to FIU’s ASLA Student Chapter for their outstanding work on this year’s PARK(ing) Day. The students partnered with the ASLA Florida Broward, Miami, and Palm Beach Sections to transform parking spaces at the Fort Lauderdale Brightline Station into lively parklets that invited the community to imagine new possibilities for public space. Their creativity and dedication showed how areas typically reserved for cars can become places that bring people together.
Thanks to generous support from sponsors and collaboration with the City of Fort Lauderdale, the event left a lasting impression. Students also extended the impact of their work by collaborating with a local elementary school to plant seedlings and donating the parklet’s furniture and plants to enrich the school’s outdoor learning spaces.
This project is a perfect example of CARTA’s “learning by doing” in action. Through hands-on experience, FIU ASLA students are shaping more creative, sustainable, and people-centered public spaces — proving that even one parking spot can spark lasting change.
We look forward to seeing how these future landscape architects continue to lead with purpose, creativity, and a deep commitment to shaping more inclusive and resilient public spaces.
