In a city as dominated by concrete as New York, it is hard to imagine where our children would play if not for parks. Parks are not only essential because of the “green space” that they provide the city with, but because of the recreation space they provide for the city’s residents. I was pleasantly surprised by PlaNYC and all the projects anticipated by 2030, especially Freshkills Park (which I would even venture into Staten Island to visit), which is said to be three times the size as Central Park. On a side note, I was also surprised at how many landfills were dispersed throughout the five boroughs. Although I think it’s not only aesthetically more pleasing, but functionally more useful to convert these spaces to parks, I can’t help but wonder where the garbage from these landfills is being transferred too, but that’s an issue for another day.
One thing that struck me was Reggie’s story about his experience with parks in the 1970s. While I do believe that parks are an imperative aspect of a community, the fear that Reggie and many other Africans Americans had at the time brings up an issue that inevitably accompanies any public space: how do you monitor that space after “closing time?” Should parks have closing times? If they do, how does the city enforce it? From my experience, many parks claim that after 9 pm the area is no longer available to the public. In select areas, I have seen gate closures to emphasize the inaccessibility of the park during evening hours, however, many parks that I’ve seen do little to keep out “trespassers.” And if trespassers are not being kept out after the designated time, how can the city assure the safety of that individual? Should these people even be considered trespassing if it’s late at night and the area is allegedly open/for the public?Granted some may say that individuals bring trouble on themselves for being in the park at the wee hours of the night, but what if the route through the park proved to be the most effective path home after a long day at work?
