Pocket park

Waterfall Garden Park, Pioneer Square, Seattle, Washington

A pocket park (also known as a parkette, mini-park, vest-pocket park or vesty park) is a small park accessible to the general public. While the locations, elements, and uses of pocket parks vary considerably, the common defining characteristic of a pocket park is its small size.[1] Typically, a pocket park occupies one to three municipal lots and is smaller than 0.5 hectares (1 acre) in size.[2]

Pocket parks can be urban, suburban or rural, but they customarily appear in densely urbanized areas, where land is very expensive and space for the development of larger urban parks is limited.[1] They are frequently created on small, irregular pieces of public or private land, such as in vacant building lots, in brownfields, beside railways, beneath utility lines, or in parking spots.[3]

Pocket parks can create new public spaces without the need for large-scale redevelopment. In inner-city areas, pocket parks are often part of urban regeneration efforts by transforming underutilized or blighted spaces into vibrant community assets.[3] They may also be created as a component of the public space requirement of large building projects.

Pocket parks can serve as focal points of activity and interest in urban areas.[4] Common elements of pocket parks include benches, tables, fountains, playgrounds, monuments, historic markers, art installations, barbecue pits, flower beds, community gardens, or basketball courts.[1][5] Although they are often too small for many space-intensive physical activities, pocket parks provide communities with greenery, a place to sit and rest, and an ecological foothold for urban wildlife.

  1. ^ a b c Faraci, Piero (December 1967). "Vest Pocket Parks" (PDF). Chicago: American Society of Planning Officials. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  2. ^ "Creating Mini-Parks for Increased Physical Activity" (PDF). National Recreation and Park Association.
  3. ^ a b "Pocket Park Tool Kit" (PDF). The Trust for Public Land.
  4. ^ Junior, Seymour, Whitney North (1969). Small urban spaces : the philosophy, design, sociology and politics of vest-pocket Parks and other small urban open spaces. New York Univ. Pr. OCLC 248445356.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ Blake, Alison. "Pocket Parks" (PDF).

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