let me illustrate.

we had just finished touring denmark’s biggest waste plant, copenhill, and our group of students sat down along the canal, in the sunshine. one would think that at 3 p.m. people would be at work or resting in their homes from a long day. no, everyone was outside. the sun was a sweet treat.

today, with the sun, was an extra special day: it was one of my classmate’s birthdays. lauren was turning 21 in europe. she is such a kind and caring person; i was not surprised that the sun decided to show its face today out of all days. for lauren, our class wanted to celebrate in the best way we knew how: going out into the city!

the sun beamed down on us. the clean air filled our lungs after breathing in waste at the plant. and the wind whipped our jacket tails to remind us that we were still in the northern hemisphere. people sat along the canal almost dipping their feet in the water, the smell of cigarettes and beer afloat around them. i could smell chocolate from a nearby shop, the lagkagehuset, and decided this would partner well with the sunshine. i bought lauren the most chocolaty cake i could find to surprise her.

our group followed along the canal to find a small park on the outskirts of the city center. we sat in a circle together sharing stories and learning more about one another. the cake and clean air paired perfectly with our laughs and birthday songs.

and that’s where i end this memory. sitting with my friends, along the canal, eating our chocolates, listening to the song of bike bells, and of course, basking in the sun.

to be sure, effective green infrastructure is more complex than simply planting more trees as trees have ecosystem disservices as well: roots can interfere with sewer pipes, tree pollen can exacerbate allergies, and branches can fall over in storms. but even if no one ends up volunteering to water trees or weed tree pits, subway announcements can still bring awareness of and appreciation for city trees to show how the urban environment is not just buildings and people but a multidimensional ecosystem.

open public spaces increase the quality of life for all people living in an area and are essential to the development of healthy cities that meet the needs of their people. my project is about the importance of public space to healthy community development, social resilience, and happier people.

different forms of public space play different roles in each of these, roles like education, accessibility, physical and mental health, activism, and exposure to nature. in his book “just sustainabilities,” julian agyeman asserts that these spaces are where we encounter other people and cultures, people watch, protest, and engage in acts of revolution (agyeman, 2013).

i want to showcase different ways people use public spaces, how that determines the needs of the people living in those communities, and how they contribute to a better quality of life. i believe that this is important in resistance against gentrification in many communities. developers and real estate companies claim new development projects will draw people into certain neighborhoods and stimulate their economies, but it may not really be what that community needs. 

public parks are undoubtedly valuable to all communities. they encourage physical activity and engagement with elements of nature. they provide spaces for people to exercise, socialize, and just have fun. a neighborhood park may be the closest thing to exposure to nature for people in some communities. it can provide interaction with nature that is not possible in cities. until coming to syracuse for college, the small wooded areas of prospect park and the beach were the closest i had ever gotten to nature.

plazas and squares, throughout history, have been important gathering places for community action and protest. they provide a known location with a large amount of space that helps get people involved, engaged, and centralized.

public libraries give people the resources to educate themselves, read for pleasure, and gain access to valuable community programs and events. more indirectly, they provide a heat-controlled, safe indoors for anyone regardless of their demographic. i spent entire summers at my local library trying to escape the summer city heat, where i cultivated a love for reading and made lasting friendships that were particularly valuable for me as an only child.

both of these spaces, as well as plazas, public museums, and public beaches, can provide invaluable access to nature, physical exercise, essential resources, and connections, places to inspire and host protest and art, all regardless of class, race, and gender. they also offer people exposure to other cultures and their values. some problems have been observed with certain public spaces increasing gentrification, and a solution for that demands thorough community outreach when designing and building a public space. additionally, how people use their current public spaces can dictate what people want from public spaces.

an example of this is in dyker beach park. people used to convene there to play bocce, a culturally significant italian game. a few years later, bocce courts were built in the park, and even as the population shifts in demographics, people can be seen every weekend on the courts. every class of people uses these spaces. also, people who may not have much space in their homes can have another place to feel at home, as well as feel like part of a community.

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references:

agyeman, j. (2013). introducing just sustainabilities: policy, planning, and practice. london, uk: zed books.

actively looking for pocket parks made me realize just how many there are in d.c. as i leave my house, i can see at least five on new hampshire avenue before the washington circle. i thought maybe it would be difficult to find greenery outside of a coffee shop, but there was a tiny pocket park outside of the first coffee shop i walked by on k street.

pocket parks offer a chance to take shelter from human activity, along with the birds and squirrels. the city has a number of coalitions and community organizations to keep pocket parks well maintained so every one has the chance to escape every once in a while. you can look for your local park organization or start one here.

of course, we are still far away from seeing green tree frogs in our parks. the green city utopia of today is more focused on reviving caterpillar populations and pollinators with native plants. the utopia of tomorrow will re-establish bird biodiversity. the next century may bring a fully integrated city, but until then pocket parks are the stepping-stones we need for a healthy, biodiverse urban environment.