Building Community in an Urban Context

Paris Plages

We went to Paris Plages on Thursday. [official site] It's a now annual event in which the Mayor of Paris builds a beach along the border of the Seine River running through the middle of Paris.  The idea is to bring the beach [summer vacation world] to Paris for those that don't have the resources (money or time) to go to the beach or on vacation.  I took some pictures as we toured the event which included a pool built for the occasion, work out areas, ping pong tables, petanque courts, a board walk, restaurants, cafes, and a concert area [for up and coming acts].  

As we saw people of all ages and backgrounds hanging out enjoying the evening I was struck by the power of building community in an intensely urban context.  Several other European cities now experiment and have their own equivalent of "Paris Plages"

Today is the Dimond Picnic in Oakland, a new now-annual event, seeking to accomplish the same thing: build community, create connections, better the daily life of citizens, and lay the groundwork for future, as-of-yet-to-emerge, collaboration and participation.

What could an "Oakland Plages" do for our city?  Where would it be?  Would the city dare to close down 10 blocks of College Ave, Mountain Blvd., MacArthur or 580 for a month?