Look at the above picture and think, would you sit there?
While walking through San Fernando one day, I stumbled upon this image. Now it's not uncommon to see street dwellers/vagrants sitting on public benches, or in this case the bus stop. But then I thought about this blog and I realized that if it were me I wouldn't sit there, not next to him. We wonder why public spaces are under utilized and one reason might be because we carry this stigma against street dwellers and scorn anything associated with them. If we see them using any public facilities we turn around because we would rather not be near them. What then does this say about us? Could it be that our paranoia might be instrumental in the failure of public spaces?
Something to think about...
This may be so in Trinidad but New Yorkers ride the train with homeless people all the time. Sometimes sitting just one seat apart.
ReplyDeleteSame in Trinidad really -- the lines between homed and homeless can be blurry especially for men who 'lime' on the block and in public spaces.
ReplyDeleteI've been on a few trains in NYC where there was at least one homeless person disrespecting themselves and the space around them, making it very uncomfortable for passengers. But, as you say - it is rare.
whypublicspacesfail should try not to over-state and root their observations in theory or research, where possible.