Woodruff Park......

I'm sorry to say just as others have agreed that I did not like The Uses of Sidewalks-Safety. Although the author tried to present the information in a orderly fashion, it was dull and boring. It was honestly repetitive and too long to stand. I'm sorry I'm being so negative.
The beginning of the reading wasn't all too bad but once I turned the page my head just began to spin. Jacobs uses statistics and dialogue to somewhat liven it up. Such as the statistics on rape in Los Angelos. It was surprising to me the high rate of rape; according to the article it is more than twice as high as the rate of Chicago and ore than four times the amount in NYC.
Jacobs was correct when she explained how people view cities according to its appearance. She had some good points but her presentation could have been better and shorter. I can't really say anymore.
The next reading was just the opposite..i liked it a lot.
The second reading entitled Woodruff Park and The Search For Common Ground written by Murphy Davis was an easy read for me. I loved how he compared and contrasted the characteristics of the old and new parks. He gave specific details which made the story easy to understand. I didnt have to read the story over and over to get what the author was trying to say. He has such strong feelings towards the well being of the homeless and positive interaction within the community and it really shows through his writing.
Davis shares with us his opinion on the newly constructed park and how it completely defeats the purpose of a park. A park is supposed to be inviting welcoming to the people of its community. "While the old park never seemed like a spectacular place to me , its walkways were wide and spacious lined with benches and grass. People walked to and through, stopped and talked together, waved to, and even hassled, one another." The new park is unwelcoming and was built to cease the homeless from temporarily using it as their beds. The city purposely made the benches so the homeless wouldn't have the chance of laying on the benches. Along with the benches the cities stopped the public from being able to use the grass as an area for picnics, lying down, or even the simple task of walking/running.
"The task for those of us who love the city is to transform Woodruff Park into a beautiful, friendly space." A park is meant to be a place of interaction. The community is supposed to be able to get to know one another and share in fun times together. A park isnt a place of tourism, it isnt a place to look upon and not get use out of, or a place to shield from the homeless. It completely defeats the purpose.
The government had the wrong idea when going about trying to isolate the homeless. While doing so they made the problem worse by creating an atmosphere that wasn't welcoming to anyone.

Both readings had relayed the same message; Although government meant to reconstruct the city in a positive way, it ended up making the problem worse than when they began. Both authors agree that the destruction of old buildings and landmarks to make it new and modern is wrong and unjust. They believe there is a better solution.