A Pocket Park for Avondale

Location: North side of 5th Avenue South opposite the 43rd Street intersection

Goals & Objectives:

The goal of a pocket park is to provide a public place within the boundaries of the community. Avondale already has a rather large park; so large, in fact, that some residents do not consider it safe. Many local children don’t use the park for this reason. A “Pocket Park” offers a safe space for which the community has a strong sense of ownership, a place where kids can play without having to worry about their safety.

Suggestions:

• The park must be well lit. Not with harsh bright lights, rather with soft glowing lights. For safety reasons, the lighting plan should avoid creating shadows.
• The park must be vandalism proof. No materials should be used that can burn or be easily broken.
• Allow the park to encompass a wide range of simultaneous activities among a wide range of age groups. This is accomplished through careful zoning, so as to give each group there own space and to have buffer zones between these spaces.
• The park should be set up to handle community events (i.e. barbecues, picnics, festivals).
• It would also be helpful if the park were supervised, either actively or passively. In the proposed design, the house adjacent to the park is recommended to be either a for-profit day care center or a community center.
• Most importantly, the park should be a safe place for children to play, for teenagers to hang out, and for community events.