The ways in which cities are designed impacts the experience of the residents who live there. In particular, the availability of safe and easily accessible public spaces can have enormous benefits in urban areas, serving as centers of social interaction, economic activity, and often provide one of the few green spaces residents have access to. Well-designed public spaces have been found to make cities more people oriented, as well as foster closer community ties. In addition, research shows that parks and green space are associated with healthier neighborhoods for residents. However, not all communities benefit equally from public spaces. Particularly in low income and/or minority communities, due to concentrated poverty, segregation, intentional urban design policies, and other geographic inequalities, there are oftentimes no safe public spaces available for residential use. What’s more, when public spaces are revitalized in poor and minority communities this often leads to gentrification, which in turn can cause the displacement of longtime residents due to the increasing property values. In this assignment, you will investigate the benefits of public space in urban areas, how the regulation of public spaces impacts different communities, and the consequences of urban renewal projects (i.e., gentrification) on racial and class-based inequalities.
In your paper, include the following sections/components:
The Benefits of Public Space
Describe the reasons why safe and accessible public spaces are important.
Discuss the social, cultural, and economic benefits that occur when urban residents have access to public spaces.
Explain how the regulation of public spaces can lead to racial and class inequalities in urban areas. In particular, address why some scholars argue that public spaces are regulated in line with the preferences of middle- and upper-class citizens and at the exclusion of the urban poor.
Gentrification, Race, and Class (Two pages)
Social Action Policy (One to two pages)
Propose a policy solution that would address the social problem of low income and minority communities not having access to public spaces in the same way that middle- and upper-class urban neighborhoods do.
REFERENCES PROVIDED FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT
How Urban Design Perpetuates Racial Inequality–And What We Can Do Abou (fastcompany.com)
Does Placemaking Cause Gentrification? It’s Complicated. (pps.org)Regulating Public Spaces – Sociological Images (thesocietypages.org)
Public Spaces: 10 Principles for Connecting People and the Streets | TheCityFix
Order an Essay Now & Get These Features For Free:
Turnitin Report
Formatting
Title Page
Citation
Outline
