Empty lots in your downtown signify wasted opportunity. Rather than sit idle, the empty lot can become one of the following:
Pocket Park
Community Garden
Pop-up Store
Parking Lot
Playground
For some reason, people tend to look at empty lots and think "pocket park" almost as if by instinct. This article will explore some of the other options that are available to a community when faced with the prospect of dealing with an empty lot and why these other options may just make more sense.
Pocket Park:
A pocket park sounds nice: a place to sit and relax while in the downtown. Think about it though; sitting and relaxing relies upon whether it's hot or cold, sunny or shady, near recreation or other activity (people-watching), near food and drink, and whether or not the property is located in a part of the downtown where people are likely to visit. In addition, a pocket park must be more than a park bench with a statue or fountain. A successful pocket park has to grab people's attention and make them stay a while.
Paley Park in New York City is considered to be one of the most popular and attractive pocket parks ever created. Have a look at these videos and discover all of the features that contribute to its success:
Precedent report by Bryn Garrett on Paley Park by Zion and Breene Associates
Paley Park RECORD's managing editor takes us to Paley Park. A small pocket of repose in the middle of Midtown Manhattan, the park was designed by the landscape architecture firm Zion & Breen and opened in 1967.