AIM:
To provide greenery, a place to sit outdoor and to provide a
safe and inviting environment for surrounding community
members of Adelabu Road in Surulere.
ADVANTAGES:
Benefit the overall ecology of the
surrounding environment.
Make communities more sociable and
reinforce relationships.
Improve fitness and health for
surrounding community.
Increase the value of nearby homes
and neighbouring property values.
LOCATION: Street-end of Adelabu Road; at the intersection with Animashaun Road in Surulere Local Government, Lagos State.
OGUNSAJO OLUWOLE OLAWALE 129051081
INTRODUCTION
OLUWOLE POCKET PARK
OGUNSAJO OLUWOLE OLAWALE 129051081
FEW THINGS ABOUT POCKET PARKS
Pocket Parks They are usually developed on vacant lots or irregular pieces of land. They literally form
a small “pocket” among other buildings.
These little parks can bring shade, quiet, and enhanced property values to blighted areas,
and they often turn up in unexpected places. They are not necessary always urban, but
can be found in small towns and in low-density areas. For example, small parks located
near street-ends at the coast have been termed pocket parks because they are adjacent to
residences.
Pocket parks are generally too small for physical activities and may be locked or gated
when not in use.
Design Guidelines Pocket parks vary widely in appearance and character. Communities should come
together to decide upon a park’s design and uses.
However, some elements of a pocket park are essential. To discourage illegal activity,
most of the park should be highly visible from the street. The community should provide
trash cans that are emptied frequently, as well as regular maintenance. It should have at
least one shade tree.
Uses. Pocket parks are best for “passive” activities such as picnics, sun bathing, reading, nature
appreciation, board games, socializing, community meetings, and art appreciation . Still,
recreational activities like basketball and children’s play are certainly possible.
Possible Accessories. Benches, picnic tables, café tables, a sundeck, playground equipment, a half basketball
court, board game tables, outdoor games (shuffleboard and hopscotch), a flower garden,
a botanical garden, public art, lawns, fountains, statuary.
STREETSCAPING OF ADELABU ROAD, SURULERE, LAGOS STATE.
OGUNSAJO OLUWOLE OLAWALE 129051081
PROFILE
One of the unique and exciting characteristics of pocket parks are that they may be created out of vacant lots or
otherwise forgotten spaces. Unfortunately, they are sometimes easier to create than to maintain because without
functional design, community support, use and maintenance, they may fall into disrepair.
However, greenery within pocket parks can help regulate microclimates and act as the “lungs” of the city, while
permeable surfaces increase infiltration.
The establishment of pocket parks throughout the urban environment also has the potential to benefit the overall
ecology of cities because communities who have parks that meet their needs within walking distance are less
likely to drive far away for the same resources, thereby reducing pollution, traffic and the consumption of
resources such as oil.
LOCATION:
Adelabu road is located adjacent to Ogunlana drive in Surulere Local Government area of Lagos State. A major
roundabout divides Adelabu road from that of Ogunlana.
A look into Adelabu road clearly shows that majority of buildings situated along the road are one storey building
with a dual carriage way constructed with a walkway.
Pocket park is here christened OLUWOLE POCKET PARK.
LANDMARKS:
Street lights are installed in the middle of the road.
Mini business centres are found along the road with one notable organization which is the Regional Training
Centre of National Power Training Institute of Nigeria.
Animashaun estate is located to the extreme of the road.
OGUNSAJO OLUWOLE OLAWALE 129051081
CASE STUDY 1a
PHILADELPHIA’S POCKET PARKS:
LOCATION:
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
DATES CREATED:
1961-1967
NUMBER OF PARKS CREATED: 60
SIZES:
900 sq. ft. to 9,000 sq. ft. (average size, around
3,000 sq. ft.)
OVERSEEN BY: Philadelphia’s Neighbourhood
Park Program
USES: Play, sitting (focusing on children and the
elderly)
FEATURES:
Climbing structures, areas for exploration, bright
colours, community involvement, basketball courts,
flower or vegetable gardens, “tot lots,” etc.
OGUNSAJO OLUWOLE OLAWALE 129051081
CASE STUDY 1b
PHILADELPHIA’S POCKET PARKS:
Philadelphia was one of the first cities to begin developing pocket
parks within its neighbourhoods. These were constructed on the
site of vacant or abandoned lots that had become eyesores and were
located in low-income areas that needed local open space in
addition to the limited facilities already available. These parks
involved the community in their design and construction and had a
specific focus on children play areas.
ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS SMALL SIZE:
Pocket parks tend to between 1-3 lots in size, with a tendency to be
larger on the west coast than on the east (Marcus, 150)
LOCAL COMMUNITY:
These parks rely on a local population for their use and often for
their upkeep ( to at least make sure they are maintained)
USES/FUNCTIONS
Small Events, especially neighbourhood events rest, relaxation
lunch breaks, Play, both individual and group.
OGUNSAJO OLUWOLE OLAWALE 129051081
CASE STUDY 2a
PALEY PARK: A MIDTOWN POCKET PARK
SIZE:
4,200 square feet .1acre
LOCATION:
Midtown Manhattan, New York City, New
York
DATE CREATED: 1967
DESIGNED BY: Zion and Breene
Associates
FUNDED BY: William Paley, former
Chairman of CBS (the William S. Paley
Foundation)
USES: Rest & relaxation, lunch area, sight-
seeing, meeting spot, etc.
FEATURES: 17 honey locust trees, 20-foot
waterfall on back wall, moveable chairs,
concession stand, ivy-covered walls.
OGUNSAJO OLUWOLE OLAWALE 129051081
CASE STUDY 2b
PALEY PARK: A MIDTOWN POCKET PARK
PALEY PARK is one of the most widely known and most successful
of all pocket parks. It is designed as an oasis away from the bustle of
Manhattan while still maintaining clear sight lines and a connection
with the street. Unlike some pocket parks, Paley
Park does not attempt to be multi-functional. It is primarily a place for
sitting and relaxing and, despite catering to a limited user group, is
extremely busy and popular because of the high density of workers,
shoppers, and tourists in the area.
The midtown park is for adults- office workers, shoppers, tourists, and
passer-by. Its purpose is for rest- for the office worker who has finished
lunch, a place to spend the remainder of the lunch hour; for the
shopper, an opportunity to put down parcels, recline
in a comfortable chair, and perhaps sip a coffee before continuing; for
the tourist or passer-by an opportunity to be refreshed visually by the
scale of the place, by the dense green growth and, hopefully, by the
quiet of the tiny space.
OGUNSAJO OLUWOLE OLAWALE 129051081
SITE ANALYSIS
EXISTING ROADS
SCHOOL BUILDING
RESIDENTIAL BUILDING
POCKET PARK SITE
National Power Training
Institute.
ACCESS ROAD INTO
POCKET PARK SITE.
POCKET PARK SITE.
POCKET PARK SITE
ENTRANCE INTO
ANIMASHAUN ESTATE
LOCATION: Street-end of Adelabu Road in Surulere Local
Government, Lagos State.
PRESENT USE: The entire site have been developed into a
nursery and demarcated by barbed wires.
TOPOGRAPHY: The site is relatively flat.
ACCESSIBILITY: The site is bounded by two roads. Adelabu Road
and Animashaun Road.
AREA OF SITE: 164sqm.
OGUNSAJO OLUWOLE OLAWALE 129051081
POCKET PARK DESIGN
TREES PLANTED
TO BUFFER
AGAINST NOISE
ADELABU
ACCESS ROAD
INTO PARK.
ENTRANCE INTO PARK
THROUGH ADELABU ROAD. PEDESTRIAN WALKWAY
ON ADELABU ROAD
OGUNSAJO OLUWOLE OLAWALE 129051081
POCKET PARK DESIGN
PEDESTRIAN
WALKWAY
WITHIN PARK.
TOPIARY
RECYCLING BIN.
ENTRANCE INTO PARK
THROUGH ANIMASHAUN ROAD.
TREES PLANTED
TO BUFFER AGAINST NOISE
OGUNSAJO OLUWOLE OLAWALE 129051081
POCKET PARK DESIGN
TREES PLANTED
TO SERVE AS
SHADE.
SITTING
MATERIALS
TOPIARY
GATES
TREES PLANTED
TO BUFFER AGAINST NOISE
OGUNSAJO OLUWOLE OLAWALE 129051081
POCKET PARK DESIGN
TREES PLANTED
TO SERVE AS
SHADE.
TREES PLANTED
TO BUFFER
AGAINST NOISE
ADELABU
ACCESS ROAD
INTO PARK.
ENTRANCE
INTO PARK
THROUGH
ADELABU
ROAD.
PEDESTRIAN WALKWAY LEADING
FROM THE ADELABU TO ANIMASHAUN.
OGUNSAJO OLUWOLE OLAWALE 129051081
POCKET PARK DESIGN
ANIMASHAUN
ACCESS ROAD.
ADELABU
ACCESS ROAD.
INTERIOR
VIEWS WITHIN
THE PARK. RECYCLING BIN.