STAR: The Merry Month of May at the SOD Festival

The Merry Month of May
at the SOD Festival

Most urban outdoor space is covered with asphalt and dedicated to the private vehicle, while only a portion of the space is allocated to public recreation and lifelong leisurely pursuits. The presence of parks on our campuses and within urban spaces will positively impact the lives of individual students, the university community, the external community, and improve the environment they live in.

The ultimate goal of the SOD Festival, a one-day campus event, was to creatively demonstrate how much park-like settings are needed on the campus of Alabama A&M University (AAMU) for student, faculty, and staff enjoyment. For example, in the triangular area of the James I. Dawson, Engineering & Technology, and Forestry buildings, more than 320 spaces have been set aside for parking to accommodate the automobile. Enhanced integration of park-like settings on AAMU's campus would offer additional opportunities for study areas, leisurely pursuits, and healthy outdoor recreations.

The pictures below show volunteers placing the sod on the ground. Seven parking spaces, approximately 16' x 45', were covered by the sod and later turned into a temporary park. The Alabama Cooperative Extension System's Saving Towns thru Asset Revitalization program staff coordinated the one-day event on May 1 to demonstrate how urban dwellers can create an inviting temporary park for family, friends, and neighbors.

STAR Tips: Establishing a Temporary
SOD Park Promotional display of temporary SOD Park and First Annual STAR May Day Event on Alabama A&M University Campus

Parking lot site chosen for change to Temporary Park
More than 340 parking spaces on the AAMU campus are set aside for vehicles in a three-building complex

Two pallets of sod are needed to cover six parking spaces Volunteers cover the 16' X 54' area with sod

Sod comes in several shapes such as short squares or rectangles. Sod pieces are laid close together to avoid gaps. Try not to stretch the sod while laying it, in fact, bunch it up and keep the seams butted together as tightly as possible to ensure the result is seamless and smooth so that people do not trip and fall during the event.

Volunteers work to match the squares
At least 100 pieces of greenery, including container flowers, shrubberies, and trees, are needed for decoration of the entire space. Use your imagination in the way you design your temporary park.

Space in center of park is left open for benches, collapsible chairs, and tables for games, grill, coolers, and people. It is important to have a water source and sprinkler(s). Soak the final park set-up with water 24 hours before your event.

When finished, acknowledge the contributions donors made to the successful creation of a SOD park.
In the shadow of a Japanese maple tree, the park's focal point, quiet time is spent reading or thinking about the beauty of nature amidst the "hustle and bustle" of city life.

Other tips:

In order to increase the attractiveness of the park for intergenerational users, plan additional activities like:

Celebrate May 1 with a May Day King & Queen pageant
Wrap the May pole for family, friends or colleagues enjoyment and participation. Use a spray-painted cardboard inner tube from a carpet roll, plastic bucket painted green, bag of ready mix cement 12-foot ribbon streamers, and artificial flowers.
Have a barbecue
Set aside additional parking spaces for traditional street games

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Most urban outdoor space is covered with asphalt and dedicated to the private vehicle, while only a portion of the space is allocated to public recreation and lifelong leisurely pursuits. The presence of parks on our campuses and within urban spaces will positively impact the lives of individual students, the university community, the external community, and improve the environment they live in. The ultimate goal of the SOD Festival, a one-day campus event, was to creatively demonstrate how much park-like settings are needed on the campus of Alabama A&M University (AAMU) for student, faculty, and staff enjoyment. For example, in the triangular area of the James I. Dawson, Engineering & Technology, and Forestry buildings, more than 320 spaces have been set aside for parking to accommodate the automobile. Enhanced integration of park-like settings on AAMU's campus would offer additional opportunities for study areas, leisurely pursuits, and healthy outdoor recreations. The pictures below show volunteers placing the sod on the ground. Seven parking spaces, approximately 16' x 45', were covered by the sod and later turned into a temporary park. The Alabama Cooperative Extension System's Saving Towns thru Asset Revitalization program staff coordinated the one-day event on May 1 to demonstrate how urban dwellers can create an inviting temporary park for family, friends, and neighbors.


STAR Tips: Establishing a Temporary SOD Park		Promotional display of temporary SOD Park and First Annual STAR May Day Event on Alabama A&M University Campus


Parking lot site chosen for change to Temporary Park		More than 340 parking spaces on the AAMU campus are set aside for vehicles in a three-building complex


Two pallets of sod are needed to cover six parking spaces		Volunteers cover the 16' X 54' area with sod

		Sod comes in several shapes such as short squares or rectangles. Sod pieces are laid close together to avoid gaps. Try not to stretch the sod while laying it, in fact, bunch it up and keep the seams butted together as tightly as possible to ensure the result is seamless and smooth so that people do not trip and fall during the event.


Volunteers work to match the squares		At least 100 pieces of greenery, including container flowers, shrubberies, and trees, are needed for decoration of the entire space. Use your imagination in the way you design your temporary park.


Space in center of park is left open for benches, collapsible chairs, and tables for games, grill, coolers, and people.		It is important to have a water source and sprinkler(s). Soak the final park set-up with water 24 hours before your event.


When finished, acknowledge the contributions donors made to the successful creation of a SOD park.		In the shadow of a Japanese maple tree, the park's focal point, quiet time is spent reading or thinking about the beauty of nature amidst the "hustle and bustle" of city life.

		Other tips: In order to increase the attractiveness of the park for intergenerational users, plan additional activities like: Celebrate May 1 with a May Day King & Queen pageant Wrap the May pole for family, friends or colleagues enjoyment and participation. Use a spray-painted cardboard inner tube from a carpet roll, plastic bucket painted green, bag of ready mix cement 12-foot ribbon streamers, and artificial flowers. Have a barbecue Set aside additional parking spaces for traditional street games