Sidewalks and Unwelcoming parks......

Jacobs wrote about how safe sidewalks and safe cities are synonymous. She explains that without safe sidewalks the city itself can not be safe. This makes alot of sense because cities both big and small and even suburbia have sidewalks. If you can feel safe walking on the streets than the general atmosphere of that part of town is safe. I agree with that.
What's interesting is that streets that are familiarized by ethnic people, or just people of the same culture have a safer feeling than those of upper class penthouse apartments. Jacobs used the example of her own street where when it appeared that an older man was trying to lure away a little girl, atleast someone from every building came out to make sure nothing wrong was going on. The only building where no one looked out was the newly renovated, more expensive apartment building....This might tell you something about the mentality of upperclass people.
The lower income ethnic cultures appear to look out for each other, while the upper class appear to not pay that much attention to their neighbors because they do not want the hastle of being attached to someone and therefore having some kind of responsibility. I thought that was pretty interesting....
On public space, i agree with andy in that the essay sounded alot like a campaign speech. It seems as if the writer had written a petition against the park in Atlanta. She declares that the only thing you can do with it is look at it and that remodeling that park pushed all of the homeless people away. Davis's sympathy to the homeless people is very humane. Although homeless people shoudn't be allowed to stay in parks around little children and so forth......not saying that all homeless people are no good but of course they are people so there will be some rotten apples in the bushel. Really the mayor should have spent the money on a soup kitchen or some other housing plan.. I believe that this story is a part of what is happening all over the US. Cities and small towns are giving into the american look. They are conforming all their stores and restaurants. They are making the whole mess clean and sanitary when cities are naturally dirty but alive and fun and personal..Pretty soon there will be a sign above beautiful restaurant saying "You make look but don't eat". Just like the park that won't let people in, so cities will eventually not want people in, only the appearance of people living in neat identical houses that have manicured lawns.