Friday, Sep 27, 2024 • Brian Lopez : contact

Architecture student Gabriela Gonzalez doesn’t miss a chance to share her Salvadoran culture.

That’s why her aunt made a nearly four-hour trip from Houston to Arlington to make pupusas, a traditional Salvadoran dish made from thick corn tortillas filled with various ingredients, for UTA’s Park(ing) Day last Friday. The event, hosted by the College of Architecture, Planning, and Public Affairs (CAPPA) encourages people to convert parking spaces into social spaces to raise awareness for safer and greener streets.

At UTA, students from several CAPPA student organizations repurposed a couple parking spots across The Commons. The students set up a couple of canopies on the parking spots where the UTA community could eat, play games and learn more about the event.

“Park(ing) Day was a unique way to bring awareness to greener and safer streets,” Gonzalez said. “It also was a great way to share a little bit of my culture and at the same time, bring some spotlight to CAPPA.”

Jonathan Hampton, a master’s in landscape architecture student and vice president of UTA’s Student American Society of Landscape Architects, said it’s important for people to know that even something like a parking lot can be reimagined and used to foster community.

“We want people to know that this space just isn’t for vehicles,” Hampton said. “These parking spots can be used to create vibrant spaces that have a distinct sense of place that add to the identity of a community. In our case, that’s UTA and CAPPA.”

Hampton said throughout the day, people from all around campus stopped at the event to try a pupusa, play cornhole or ask about the plants and flowers that some of the organizers brought. The hope is that the event can get a little bigger each year.

“Our CAPPA students, representing a range of disciplines, came together by using the national Park(ing) Day event to forge a new tradition at UTA that celebrates teamwork and innovation,” said CAPPA Dean Ming-Han Li. “This collaboration not only enriches their academic journey but also raises awareness by transforming underutilized spaces, like parking spots, into vibrant hubs for public social life.”

About The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA)

Located in the heart of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, The University of Texas at Arlington is a comprehensive teaching, research, and public service institution dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through scholarship and creative work. With an enrollment of approximately 41,000 students, UT Arlington is the second-largest institution in the UT System. UTA’s combination of outstanding academics and innovative research contributes to its designation as a Carnegie R-1 “Very High Research Activity” institution, a significant milestone of excellence. The University is designated as a Hispanic Serving-Institution and an Asian American Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution by the U.S. Department of Education and has earned the Seal of Excelencia for its commitment to accelerating Latino student success. The University ranks as the No. 1 national public university in the U.S. for veterans (Military Times, 2024), No. 4 in Texas for advancing social mobility (U.S. News & World Report, 2025), and No. 6 in the United States for its undergraduate ethnic diversity (U.S. News & World Report, 2025). UT Arlington’s approximately 270,000 alumni occupy leadership positions at many of the 21 Fortune 500 companies headquartered in North Texas and contribute to the University’s $28.8 billion annual economic impact on Texas.