The MARTA Mobility Pocket Park is located on Brady Avenue in front of the Brady Avenue Mural created by local artist, Chloe Alexander and boasts a bioswale, custom swing set made from repurposed guardrail I-Beams, a set of concrete cornhole boards, picnic tables, and Adirondack chairs. This pocket park was a collaboration between MARTA, the Marietta Street Artery neighborhood, and our CID.
Need a refresher on pocket parks and why these are beneficial to urban communities? The NRPA defines these installations as the following: “A small outdoor space, usually no more than ¼ of an acre, usually only a few house lots in size or smaller, most often located in an urban area surrounded by commercial buildings or houses on small lots with few places for people to gather, relax, or to enjoy the outdoors. They are also called vest pocket parks, a term first used in the 1960s. Pocket parks are urban open spaces on a small scale and provide a safe and inviting environment for surrounding community members.”
The Upper Westside’s history as an industrial district has left many of our neighborhoods today without parks or greenspaces. Places to gather and recreate outdoors are critical for healthy vibrant neighborhoods. Our organization partners with property owners to bring more publicly accessible greenspace to our Upper Westside communities. Since our creation in 2016, we’ve leveraged this public-private partnership model to build the Brady Pocket Park, Howell Junction Pocket Park, Huff Hill Pocket Park, and now the MARTA Mobility Pocket Park.
Our goal is to enhance the neighborhoods in the Upper Westside, and our success hinges on creating a livable district where streets, buildings, and public spaces are crafted first and foremost for people. This is why we built this greenspace to be the perfect place to enjoy a cup of coffee or snack, connect with friends under the shade of a tree, or bring your two or four-legged children.
Is there a place you’d like to see transformed into a pocket park? Tell us about it here. Or to learn more about our other projects in the Upper Westside District, visit our website and follow us on social media to stay connected!
