Open Access

Rainer Sachse

• In 1963, New York landscape architects Robert Zion and Harold Breen published the pamphlet ‘New Parks for New York’ in which they proposed the introduction of a new type of park, the ‘Pocket Park’.In 1963, New York landscape architects Robert Zion and Harold Breen published the pamphlet ‘New Parks for New York’ in which they proposed the introduction of a new type of park, the ‘Pocket Park’. Pocket Parks are small-scale urban parks. Because of their little footprint, Pocket Parks can be placed in the unoccupied spaces of the city structure, the urban fabric, and in this way, they provide open space directly to the local population. A large-scale green space is replaced by a multitude of miniature parks. In this article the original Pocket Park idea will be presented. Based on the modernist concept the potential of a new type of Pocket Park for the sustainable renewal of our cities will be explored, as they open up ways to address the pressing issues of urbanization: The social drifting apart of urban society, the increasing anonymity and individuality, the decreasing biodiversity and the challenges of climate change. As a decentralized strategy, Pocket Parks can be used to respond quickly, precisely, and cost-effectively to problems in neighbourhoods. The new Pocket Parks offer a unique opportunity to bring together city and park, nature, and culture in an innovative way.…