Growing together in every corner.
The Mini Parks Project turns small, underused corners into welcoming community green spaces — pockets of shade, flowers, books, and friendly places to pause.
Why mini parks?
A mini park is a small public green space made on an overlooked corner. They are little — and they do something quietly powerful: they give a neighborhood a heart.
They bring neighbors together
A bench and a bit of shade turn a forgotten corner into a place where people meet, talk, and look out for one another.
They make room for nature
Native plants and pollinator habitat give wildlife a foothold — and the whole block a welcome breath of fresh air.
They are good for all of us
Time spent in green space supports health, rest, and play — for children, elders, and everyone in between.
They are small and doable
A mini park is intentionally little. With a few committed neighbors, a corner can come to life in a weekend or two.
What can we put in mini parks?
Each one is small in size but generous in heart. Here are a few of the things a corner might grow into.
Butterfly Gardens
Pocket habitats of native flowers that welcome monarchs, bees, and hummingbirds back to the block.
Quiet Nooks
A shady bench for morning coffee, a chapter of a book, or a friendly hello.
Little Libraries
Take a book, leave a book. Stories quietly shared at the corner.
Community Canvas
Rotating chalk murals, painted stones, and neighbor-made art that change with the seasons.
Seed Swap Boxes
Take a packet, leave a packet — heirloom seeds shared from one neighborhood garden to the next.
And a few more things a corner can grow
How do we create Mini Parks?
Every city is different, but here is the general path a neighborhood can follow to grow a mini park on its corner.
-
1
Start with what already exists
If your city has a process for residential parklets, great — follow that.
-
2
No process yet? Look nearby
Reference nearby cities that do have a process and use them as a model for what could work on your block.
-
3
Read the corner
Consider how people use the street, so the space improves the everyday experience for the neighborhood.
-
4
Think about water and habitat
Choose drought-tolerant native plants and design with the pollinators and animals that already share the block.
-
5
Talk to your immediate neighbors
Make sure the people closest to the corner are overall interested before you build anything.
-
6
Give the city a heads up
A short, friendly note about what you’re planning goes a long way toward making the project feel welcomed.
-
7
Build a “temporary” version
Start modest and movable — planters, a bench, some flowers — so the idea can prove itself in real life.
-
8
See how the neighborhood likes it
Gather feedback, share what you’re learning with the city, and push to have the mini park officially permitted.
-
9
Help your city grow a program
One mini park is the start. The bigger goal is a citywide framework so more neighbors, on more blocks, can do the same.