Junior Cole Porter receives Knight grant to host Garage PARKlet

Junior political science major Cole Porter said he’s been passionately involved with community development since high school.

“Specifically public space and how it can impact our lives as community members,” he said.

On Nov. 3 and 4, he has the opportunity to watch a dream of his come true with the first Garage PARKlet.

“The Garage PARKlet on the top level of Mulberry Street Parking Garage seeks to interactively show 24 hours of reimagined space,” he said.

The project is a winner of the 2017 Knight Cities Challenge, an initiative of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The foundation’s goal is to seek ideas to make the 26 cities where Knight invests, including Macon, more vibrant places to live and work, according to a release by Mercer Marketing.

Porter is the project leader and he set out to use single purpose spaces, like parking garages.  

“If they’re not being used for that one purpose, then they’re going inactive and underutilized,” he said. “What our vision is is to demonstrate how public space can be a solution to activate those spaces at a low cost and a high impact.”

Porter said events like this will have an impact on people who own the property and the community at large.

“We knew people were already attracted to and familiar with the space and Macon-Bibb owns that property,” he said. “We were able to partner with them rather than for us to try and go find a private owner.”

The challenge grant was open to any person living in a Knight Foundation city. The goal of The Knight Foundation is to invest back into these communities.

“I formulated this idea, didn’t really have a team set or the professional resources to be able to commit to this,” Porter said. “I heard that I was a finalist, and then I got an email saying that I had been chosen.”

Porter said there will be pop-up yoga, local artists, yard games, interactive mural stands and stations and plenty of options for photo-opps.

“For Mercer students, I think it’s important to come check this event out because it’s a really cool way to come experience this side of Macon,” Porter said. “Since my time here I’ve been really excited about seeing students get involved with the community.”

The Garage PARKlet project is made possible by partnerships with NewTown Macon, Georgia Artisan and Macon Productions, according to a release.

Porter said he’d appreciate any of the support from Mercer students, and that he wants his event to compliment homecoming weekend activities, not deter from them.