A new pocket park has popped up in the Bangkok Noi area to serve as a green lung for residents along Arun Amarin Road.

Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) deputy permanent-secretary Chatree Wattanakhajorn opened the park on Thursday in an event titled “Pop Park BKK”. He also joined participants in planting shoe flowers (hibiscus) in the new space to help absorb air pollution.

The park is part of governor Chadchart Sittipunt’s “Bangkok 15 minutes” policy, which aims to provide Bangkokians with some green space 15 minutes away from home and make the Thai capital a liveable metropolis for all.

The Bangkok Noi pocket park was developed by the Bangkok Noi district office in collaboration with the we!park network, which provided a training workshop dubbed “Park Coaching & Clinic” to BMA staffers.

Officials from the departments of Public Works, Cleaning and Public Park, and Community and Social Development were among those who participated in the training and then put their knowledge of public park design and maintenance to ensure the pocket park meets the needs of surrounding communities.

Located on Arun Amarin Road, the new Bangkok Noi park sits on 23.5 square wah (94 square metres) of formerly unused land. Getting there is convenient, as it is located near communities, the Wang Lang Market, and Wat Rakhang Kositaram, a famous temple by the Chao Phraya river.

Open daily from 5am to 7pm, the park provides space for aerobic exercise and recreational activities. It is illuminated by solar-powered lamps to save energy.

Chatree said the new park could serve as a role model for other districts and thanked BMA officials and its partners for turning vacant land into a public space that serves the needs of the community.

He added that the city did not focus on the size of pocket parks but insisted they must be easily accessible by local people. Pocket parks should ideally be no further than 800 metres from residential areas and could thus be reached in a 15-minute walk.

He added that the BMA and we!park will continue organising workshop sessions for staffers of each of the 50 districts so that the city can build more pocket parks for other Bangkok areas.