Urban Design: Pocket Park Challenge

Today I’m diving into modern parks in different countries — focusing on Denmark, Morocco, and the USA — and exploring how each park reflects the vibe, culture, and design language of its city. My goal is to understand how public spaces respond to climate, community needs, and the personality of the place around them.

Arab Urban Development Institute

What Makes Modern Parks In Cities “Good”?

• Repurposed Infrastructure: Instead of clearing out land, many parks will reclaim industrial ruins. Ex: New York City turned an abandoned elevated railway into a 1.45 mile greenway.
• Climate Resiliency & Biophilic Design: Modern parks act as green lungs, using rainwater harvesting, permeable paving, native plant restoration, and solar‑powered lighting to cool cities and reduce the urban heat island effect.
• Multifunctional Spaces: Parks are designed to adapt depending on the time of day or season, and can go from morning yoga session to night time screening of a movie.

Denmark: Tivoli Gardens

Historic and modern design — Tivoli Gardens was originally built in 1843, but is added onto with modern lights and amenities.

Human-scale Urbanism — Tivoli reflects the qualities of Copenhagen, such as walkability, coziness, and upscale social places.

Cultural Identity — Tivoli is whimsical, artistic, and playful, much like the rest of Copenhagen.

Tivoli Gardens (Guided Tours)

Morocco: Jardin Majorelle

Color as Identity — The electric Majorelle Blue mirrors Marrakech’s bold pigments, tiles, and desert‑sky contrast.

Botanical Diversity — Cacti, palms, bamboo, and desert plants reflect Morocco’s climate and biophilic traditions.

Art + Architecture Fusion — The garden blends Moroccan craft with modernist shapes, echoing Marrakech’s mix of old medina + new city.

Jardin Marjorelle

USA: Millennium Park (Chicago)

Industrial to Modern Transformation — Chicago is known for railroads, steel, and industry. Millennium Park literally sits on top of old rail yards, transforming them into a cultural space.

Bold Public Art — Cloud Gate (“The Bean”), Crown Fountain, and the Pritzker Pavilion reflect Chicago’s love for architecture, sculpture, and big artistic statements.

Urban Connectivity — The park links Michigan Avenue, the lakefront, and the Loop, stitching together major parts of the city.

Millennium Park in Chicago

The Challenge:

First, I’m going to find an open lot on Google Earth in Napa, California, where I’m going to design my park. I’m looking for a place that could have some hills, but also has flat spaces where amenities can be built.

After a quick search, I found this empty lot, right in a big neighborhood.

After doing a quick outline of the lot and sketching in parts, I have completed the outline of the park. It will include a vineyard themed play space (because Napa is famous for their vineyards and wine), bushes along the paths that go through the park, a large sitting space, a wood and marble skating rink, a pond, a dome filled with plants, and a multi-purpose patio area. After using showing the sketch to AI, and compromising on the shape, this is what the generated park looks like…

So it’s not exactly the correct shape but it has the right idea.

What did I learn from this challenge?

• Many modern parks connect to the culture and climate of the city, sort of like the vineyard themed play space with large barrels one can climb inside, or the type of wood used.
• Many parks have elements that connect to the activities of the city, like how Tivoli Gardens was very walkable and cozy, similar to Copenhagen.

Thank you for reading day two of Architect In Training! Next time I’m going to look at commercial architecture, using examples such as the Apple Store in Chicago to complete my daily challenge. Read the next post to find out what the challenge is!