How Detroit’s Pocket Parks Breathe Life into Forgotten Spaces

Ever heard of a pocket park? According to the National Recreation and Park Association, the term originated in the 1960s as “vest-pocket parks,” which described small-scale green urban spaces. Decades later, it’s a revived trend that many local communities use to bring even more beauty to their vibrant neighborhoods.

Detroit is far from the only city using pocket parks—although it’s found growing popularity here. Communities stuck with abandoned house lots and overgrown plots are using them to create welcoming public spaces that invite both locals and visitors to experience.

Many of our pocket parks result from local organizations and community members. These ongoing projects create volunteer opportunities while inspiring community engagement. See what creative ideas have sparked across our communities in these quaint green spaces:

The Braden Street Pocket Park is the first milestone completion for the upcoming Braden Street Greenery. It was completed in June 2022 by JIMA Studio.

Braden Street Greenery will be completed in December 2023 with planned pedestrian and biking paths, art installations, and decorative landscaping to turn its forgotten vacant lots into a destination.

The pocket park will connect the Chadsey Condon neighborhood to the greenery. In the meantime, the park already makes the area more inviting with a lush fruit tree grove, native flora like perennials and evergreens, and a community table to chat and plot which pocket park you’ll hit next!

After visiting this park, stop by the nearby Michigan Central, one of our most famous historical landmark buildings.

Projects like the Joe Louis Greenery will create more outdoor recreational activity options for visitors. Furthermore, it’s inspiring other local projects like Bieniek Park. So, while we wait for the 27.5-mile greenway to arrive, add this nearby pocket park to your list as a warm-up.

Bieniek Park isn’t a new park. Instead, it’s a renovation project to improve a distressed green space. Detroit Parks & Recreation worked with the nonprofit Bridging Communities to bring recreation back to this pocket park.

New construction on the park started in Spring 2023 with features visitors can already enjoy. It hosts local soccer games on the sports field, has picnic tables, a community garden, and even a Little Free Library.

The park itself is a piece of history since it was dedicated to one of the casualties of WWII who was born here.

The Motown Museum expansion isn’t the only good news coming out of Detroit’s NW Goldberg neighborhood. The McGraw Mini-Park is a small step towards a big goal for the community that hopes to foster safety, comfort, and healthy lifestyles for residents and visitors.

McGraw Mini-park is the 6th complete project for the community’s 20 by ’25 initiative. This long-term project includes several new pocket parks planned for the area as part of its goal for 20 public community green spaces.

This park surpassed its crowdfunding goal of $11,000 to give a 2,200-square-foot vacant lot a much-needed makeover. The official park sign is already up and will reveal community-inspired artwork soon. Once completed, the park will have a walking path, seating options, and plenty of greenery for a breath of fresh air. The park will also host various wellness programs like yoga classes and meditation workshops.

Visiting Detroit with kids? This pocket park is built for kids by kids—not literally, but they were instrumental in the design process to create a pocket park that they would enjoy!

Brilliant Detroit has already completed four pocket park projects across Detroit and plans to create 24 more next year. For their Morningside project, they enlisted the expertise of local kids in deciding what the vacant lot will include. The result is a soon-to-finish miniature park with a kid’s play structure, multiple gardens, a paved walking path, and more.

A stop by this pocket park is an excellent detour after passing by the Algers Theater, one of two preserved theaters in Art Moderne style that’s also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In addition to these organization-driven projects, individuals in the communities also do their part in neighborhood beautification while adding their personal touches. For example, Detroiter Carolyn Pruitt spearheads a pocket park development called LaNita’s Pocket Park in a Westside community inspired by her love of flowers. Also, Asma Baban who used grant funding to create her Parks & Lite pocket park in the Dexter-Linwood neighborhood to improve livability.

So, the next time you’re cruising around Detroit, check to see if you’re near any of these pocket parks to see the creative ways Detroiters are beautifying our city.