Pocket park seeks new vision

Town Crier “Briefs from the Region” (2) – 4/26/21

Students in Montana State University’s Community-Engaged and Transformational Scholarship program are looking at Downtown Bozeman’s Soroptimist Park, an often looked over pocket park on South Rouse Avenue. They joined the City of Bozeman in reimagining what the space could look like with a little improvement so it can better serve the community and surrounding environment like Bozeman Creek, which runs through the park. Students researched through design workshops and site visits and analyzed everything from safety to visibility and took inventory of the park’s vegetation.

“This was one of the most rewarding service-learning partnerships I have been a part of over my nine years at MSU,” said MSU associate professor Rebekah VanWieren in an MSU News Service release. “Instead of a one-way model where the university provides a community service, Downtown Partnership and the professional mentors engaged with students throughout the semester as co-teachers at six formalized activities as well as other communication points.”