One thing that I read in my research on Bloomberg’s public health policy was that he believes in integrating the various departments and policies intended to make New York City a better place, and one thing I got from this week’s readings is that he is certainly making good on that plan. I was very happy to read about his initiative to increase access to healthy foods with community gardens, and impressed to learn that even as he aims to increase access to bodies of water for sports and entertainment, he is still taking measures to ensure that the water does not become in any way unsafe or compromised. He really does seem to be covering as many bases as he can in connecting public health with the environment.
Nevertheless, as promising as the new vision of parks may be in some areas, one thing that I do not believe they will achieve to quite the degree people seem to be hoping for is getting kids to live a more active and communal lifestyle. The technology and consumerism connected to today’s youth in the Wridt article is something that has already become ingrained–and at an early age. When kids as young as five already have their own collection of pricey gadgets that provide entertainment at the touch of a button, I think it would be difficult to entice them away with the suggestion of a ballgame in the park. The fact is that, though arguably very worthwhile, really getting the most out of a park requires some level of physical effort. No matter how improved or impressive our parks become, they still are not instant gratification, and unfortunately, that automatically puts them at a disadvantage that no policy can change.
