Odinparken - a pocket park in Copenhagen

Pocket parks are a concept derived from New York, where they have had enormous success with pocket parks in a busy city with lots of small garden-like areas. In Copenhagen Municipality, we are working on creating pocket parks which in various ways will stimulate the senses, surprise people and encourage physical activities and recreation.

Typically, a pocket park is smaller than half a football pitch. This is often a green urban area which is characterised by the fact that it is a hybrid between a square and a park. Pocket parks are small, local oases where people can stop for a while and watch the city rush by from a distance. The small green urban areas will be beneficial to climate adaptation as they cool the city on hot days and soak up rainwater on wet days. Find out more about climate adaptation in the Copenhagen climate plan.

Copenhagen has its first urban garden. This is located on Odinsgade in Nørrebro.

Copenhagen will have four new pocket parks in 2011 and 2012 – these will be in the following locations:

• Litauens Plads in Vesterbro
• Majporten in Amager
• Gadekærsvej in Valby
• Haraldsgadekvarteret in Nørrebro

The four pocket parks will be very different in terms of design, vegetation, city-owned equipment and activities.

Photos