Katowice unveils a pocket park with benches made from old clothes

Although it resembles wood, the urban furniture is actually made of recycled textile

Katowice, one of the largest Polish cities, has once again demonstrated its commitment to sustainability in the urban environment. Local authorities have yesterday informed of the opening of a pocket park, which also boasts recycled urban furniture.

Maximising climate action efficiency in urban environments

Katowice is continuing the testament of being the world’s climate action capital as part of the 2018 Climate Change Conference COP 24. Now, in another demonstration of its efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change on urban life, the city has unveiled a pocket park.

A pocket park is much similar to the park we are used to visiting, safe for the fact that it is deployed in an urban environment, where space is scarce, and greenery paves the way to buildings. Pocket parks are usually temporary and have small but convenient urban furniture, which allows making public spaces more attractive by introducing greenery to urbanized places. As a side benefit, this prevents the formation of local heat islands.

The new place for rest and relaxation is located on Market Square and has been prepared in cooperation between local authorities and a private company. And if the concept already seems interesting enough, it gets even more creative and sustainable.

This is thanks to the special features of the urban furniture used in the park – instead of using concrete or wood, it was made from… 95% old clothes. VIVE Texcellence, as it is called, is a durable material that imitates the appearance of wood, but is made of textile. Its source is shredded clothing, which is no longer good for wearing and is thermally treated and solidified.

Naturally, for durability, some metal material was used, but 50% of it comes from secondary raw materials (SRSMs, or materials that can be recycled and then put back into the economy as new raw materials).

Residents will be able to use the garden in Katowice's Market Square until the end of September. The authorities point out that this is not the first pocket garden in the city – this has been done even prior to the city’s hosting of the UN Climate Summit in 2018.