{"id":11229,"date":"2026-04-17T13:59:24","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T17:59:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/montgomeryplanning.org\/blog-design\/?p=11229"},"modified":"2026-04-17T13:59:24","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T17:59:24","slug":"greening-the-gaps-how-local-students-are-transforming-small-spaces-into-community-parks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/montgomeryplanning.org\/blog-design\/2026\/04\/greening-the-gaps-how-local-students-are-transforming-small-spaces-into-community-parks\/","title":{"rendered":"Greening the gaps: How local students are transforming small spaces into community parks"},"content":{"rendered":"

Imagine, for a moment, that you are in your favorite outdoor place. What things would you expect to see there? Children playing soccer? Tall trees and flowering shrubs? Maybe there is a pond or stream. This place deserves your attention and care.<\/p>\n

People love parks. Not only do they provide the benefits of being outdoors, such as improved mental health outcomes<\/a>, but parks provide a space to gather socially. Think of the very name of this blog, The Third Place \u2013 the social realm separate from home and the workplace. \u201cPocket parks\u201d are one way to ensure equitable access to greenspace, and Montgomery Planning\u2019s Reforest Montgomery program is helping one ambitious and environmentally minded high school student make his a reality.<\/p>\n

Green corners for everyone<\/h2>\n

Max Weiner is working to bring the concept of \u201cPocket parks\u201d into the mainstream by highlighting its value and potential benefits. He\u2019s a sophomore at Walter Johnson High School in Montgomery County, and through the Student Global Ambassadors Program (SGAP) Leaders<\/a>, Max and his peers created the Green Corners for Everyone initiative<\/a> to design and build a small-scale public park, known as a pocket park, in Rockville as well as\u00a0 create a guide to help others do the same in their neighborhoods. His project is completely student-run and directed. Max reached out to the Reforest Montgomery program in search of resources, particularly ways to introduce native plant life in his new pocket park.<\/p>\n

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Max Weiner and colleagues conducted a walkthrough of the future pocket park on April 14 in Rockville. The space is currently a grassy plot located at Neighborhood Church. From May through October, on Saturdays, the parking lot adjacent to the pocket park hosts the Derwood Farmers Market for the community. Photo courtesy of Max Weiner<\/p><\/div>\n

The concept of a pocket park first emerged in Europe after World War II. Large cities had been devastated by the war, and there was little money for repair. Vest pocket parks<\/a> emerged as low-cost investments that converted small urban spaces into meaningful, natural infrastructure. According to the National Recreation and Park Association<\/a>, \u201cA pocket park is a small outdoor space, usually no more than one-quarter of an acre\u2026most 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.\u201d These parks are accessible to their community and are comfortable, sociable places where people can gather and engage with one another.<\/p>\n

Max loves all things city and design and finds it interesting how the built environment shapes who we are. He said visitors to the pocket park can expect to see picnic tables, exercise equipment, native flora, and perhaps a Little Library, which is what Max wants the pocket park to remind people of – a sweet and functional discovery of shared resources in one\u2019s neighborhood. Max envisions an activated space that also engages local schools and hosts events. Key to getting Max\u2019s initiative up and running is his partnerships with the Maryland Forestry Foundation, Youth Service America, and Montgomery Planning\u2019s Reforest Montgomery program to secure funding and resources, including our native tree coupons to plant trees in his pocket park. His group will also create a guide on how to access funding and construct pocket parks so others \u2013 especially the youth of the county – can recreate the initiative. Green Corners for Everyone will host a Community Build Day on May 18 from 1-4 p.m. to build the first pocket park together at 16501 Redland Road, Rockville, Md, in the lower parking lot near the patio. Max is inviting community members to join this effort (and to connect with them on their Instagram<\/a> account).<\/p>\n

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