By HEATHER BOSCH
KIRO Radio

Driving around Seattle on Friday you may see some really unusual things in parking spots.

There will be mini parks, made up of sod and plants, and art installations, or other mini exhibits, set up on the street next to the meter.

"Mostly you'll see people in the spots where cars usually are, which is kind of the idea," Seattle 'Park(ing) Day' organizer Max Hepp Buchanan says, "We're kind of trying to draw attention to how much public space cars take up either when they're parked or when they're driving."

Buchanan, a spokesman for the non-profit group "Feet First," says about 20 percent of all land in the average city is used by cars.

He says about 30 different groups plan to set up in nearly 70 Seattle parking spots legally on Friday. "I've worked really closely with the city, with the Seattle Department of Transportation, and they've been really great about getting us a permit for the entire event," Buchanan says.

Parking day was started by a group of artists in San Francisco about five years ago and is now an annual international event.

You might also be interested in:

• Photo Gallery: Seattleites set up space for Park(ing) Day
• Park(ing) Day 2010