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Finalized Vision

My revitalized park will look secure, and safe for long term use. The cameras installed within the park will help reduce crimes such as vandalism and illegal drug use, providing a safer and secure environment. Furthermore, convenient porta potties located within the park will allow for people to use the bathroom, and resume any activity they had planned for the day, however long it may be. The feedback I have received for my blog has encouraged me to go through with my final vision for the park - my vision addresses their comments by agreeing with or finding suitable compromise with their ideas. For instance, one person suggested that I have the police pass by the park every now and then to ensure a safe and secure environment. The police already do this by car so I decided to take it a step further and implement police controlled cameras. With the cameras in place, the police won’t have to physically be there thus saving the police time and money - as they say, time is money. In speaking of placemaking, I followed the idea that people liked to watch their surroundings as Jane Jacobs had noticed in her studies. For them to be able to watch their surroundings, the environment must be bearable. Illegal drug use, the smell of marijuana, and graffiti drives people away from observing their environment. It degrades the environment and strangers seem unfriendly. People actually rush through the park rather than casually walk through it. I’ve decided to use what I learned from the semester and people such as Jane Jacobs to form a plan that would save the park before it worsens to closing the park, and bringing down property values as the area becomes less desirable to live in. By enforcing the law in the park, everyone can enjoy a healthy environment to dwell in and look upon. The effect of a healthy environment spreads, people become happier, and social equity is promoted as economic changes in property values occur for the best interest of all the community.

Cameras will help police to enforce the law, secure, and make safe a community. The environment must be kept a healthy one (in good physical condition), and safe from all harm - that includes criminal activity. If anything tries to break the community’s unity then the cameras will catch it and the criminals will face charges. Everyone must be able to freely enjoy their time at the park. By doing these actions, a sustainable and stronger community can be kept.

Porta Potties will be installed in the park for everyone's convenience to using the restroom. No longer will people need to rush a basketball game, or cut their skate session short just to hurry home to relieve themselves. Having porta potties in the park will keep citizens in the park thus building a stronger community where people can interact longer together instead of being apart.

Offensive or derogatory graffiti should be removed from the park’s skate park. By removing the graffiti, not only is the park’s integrity kept but also the positive vibes going throughout the community. Otherwise, if the graffiti remains then little children's minds will be polluted with bad thoughts, and inevitably inherit negative ideas.

Even though there is a sign stating that graffiti is prohibited at the park, it’s not as bold as the one above and is instead hidden in the small fine print. For the law to be known by everyone, and to discourage rule breaking, it’s important that a sign such as the one above is placed near the skate park (the prime place of graffiti vandalism). By knowing and following the rules on how we can all enjoy the park fairly, the environment becomes more sustainable.

Community service is important part to building and strengthening a community. It allows us the chance to get together and put our head and hands together in working at goal for values that we all share. Whether it’s doing landscaping work (as shown in the picture) or picking up trash, everyone can come together to create strong bonds.

Plan

Approvals

Key stakeholders that will need to approve my project are governmental bodies, specifically, the police, and a private party (the porta potty company). The police department will be the ones monitoring the cameras to help enforce the law. Whereas, the porta potty company will be the one I’ll be making the contract with to have porta potties in the park at a good price.

Funding  

I can try to seek funding from a local bank. A loan good enough for one year should be fine, at least. A good amount of the costs will come from the long term maintenance and upkeep of the park (and it’s porta potties) as needed so it’s expected that there will be money left over (making it easier to pay off the loan). Since the police will be the ones storing the footage (as they’ll need it to enforce the law later if crime occurs) they may want money in exchange for their services so majority of the money from the loan will go to paying them if necessary. Along with a good credit history, and good reason as aforementioned, banks will be convinced to loan the money for the park costs.

Long-term maintenance/upkeep

In the long term, the national park service will continue to clean and tidy the environment as they always have been. In addition, cameras will keep a good look on the park and its condition. As needed, special cleaners (third parties) can also be called to clean the porta potties as they will get dirty - this will likely be the only somewhat big cost for this project in the long term. Community service will help with lowering the costs greatly. If the community pitches in and gives back in cleaning trash, or landscaping, then the place can be kept beautiful and tidy for people just like them to enjoy.

Marketing

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Reflections

Fair and Affordable Housing

1.On the topic of fair and affordable housing, the Takoma Piney Branch Local Park seems to have a variation in house pricing around the park. It is known that houses with green space near them (such as parks) could raise the value of one’s home. In this case, on one side there are a lot of houses and on the other there’s apartments. Interestingly enough, the apartments are actually lower in cost then the houses despite the fact that it is placed near a green space. This variation is pricing is still fair and I agree with the values but perhaps the prices are better justified by the convenient surrounding elementary and middle schools of the houses in the neighborhood.

On Transportation’s Role in Sustainable Communities

Nowadays, living in the city can be really expensive - apartment rates can be sky high. Thankfully, there is sufficient transportation methods, and plenty of affordable housing opportunities for citizens to rent a apartment, or live in a home near Takoma Piney Branch Local Park (TPBLP) in Takoma Park. TPBLP is located in the suburbs of Takoma Park. There are many houses and, few apartment buildings around the park. What makes living in the suburbs of Takoma Park very reasonable is that if you were to have a job in a city (Silver Spring, for instance) you could use any of the affordable methods of transportation to get you there. There is metro subway station just a 10 minute walk away from the park, bikeshare stations all around, plenty of busses and even taxis available, and you could even take Uber or Lyft when you need to get somewhere faster. Considering all these options it’s amazing to think about how much money one could save upon ditching the car expenses. No wonder many working people in my around my neighborhood are walking to the subway all dressed up and with suitcases, they know they can save money by using the affordable transportation that makes living in such a community great.

On Legal Agreements and Historic Preservation Efforts

The Takoma Piney Branch Local Park (TPBLP) is located in the Historic neighborhood of Takoma Park.  Over time it has gone through many ups and downs. Thanks to the helpful input of the community, the park has been kept to this day. The most recent significant renovations was successful in part because of a legal agreement between the Steve Francis Foundation (belonging to former NBA superstar Steve Francis) and the owners of the park - most likely to be an easement. Steve Francis was allowed to donate funds to support the development of new equipment in the park, including a basketball court named after him. Steve Francis used to live in this community so he thought it was good chance to meet the park's preservation needs, and to give back as well. Many people such as myself agree that this decision benefitted the community as a whole - good resources help a community grow and become better in achieving their goals.

2.I would like to discuss the topic on public private partnerships that I started in my last post for part 3. I realized now after working on my project and seeing what was possible in all of the adaptive reuse projects, and stadium building that we looked at before that government cooperation is a good thing. I’m contemplating on the option that making a deal with the government to pay for the cameras and store camera footage. The deal will still be made with the porta potty company to have porta potty services via contract. However, making a partnership with the government will greatly reduce costs associated with buying cameras, setting them up, and maintaining footage. Police cameras already exist so this is quite similar - in this instance it’s kind of like New York’s street cameras but in a park. In the end, I think this is a great idea for partnership because it will be easier for police to do their job when we’re all looking out for our communities best interest.

3.I believe that the choice on whether or not one will live in a sustainable community is determined by availability of fair and affordable housing opportunities. Many low income citizens (especially minorities) are forced to live in areas where the sun doesn’t shine. Meaning, they’ll only go so far but still be in the dark because they were never in a good system to begin with - higher education is less likely to happen, and high paying jobs demand people with those kind of skills. It really needs to start with equity. Everyone needs to be able to get to those high goals, so affordable housing should be mixed in with other housing, therefore making the neighborhoods less “segregated”. These neighborhoods with often more expensive housing has a viable environment with good access to resources. The next thing would be to re educate or educate those who need to be able to thrive in the economy and keep up with in demand higher paying jobs - now they would be just like the others in the neighborhood. The big challenge would be for their to be social equity in the community (specifically, for minorities) once the individual is able to afford a home in the area.  The solution would be to have the pattern repeat with other low income people as new affordable housing arrives. Then social equity would be easier to achieve, and more bearable as the area becomes more diverse. Diversity should be seen as a good thing in the community, and one that only supports greater education and knowledge to become better.

[271sustainablestream-blog]

Part 3

1. I started my observation period at 11:25am on 4/25/2017 on the deck of a house overlooking the park(that way I could see most of what was going on from one place).

2. It was sunny with few clouds and the air was a bit humid.

3. Sensory impressions include the texture of gritty sand that a little girl was playing in, rigid woodchips that kids were running around in, the smell of cannabis momentarily filling the air, and a feel for allergens in the air that could make one with allergies sneeze.

4.There ere about 3 people skating (two were on roller skates, and the other on a skateboard). The roller skaters skated for about 10 minutes. The skateboarder skated for about 30 minutes but started smoking weed as he did so. A kid around 5 played in some sand for about 9 minutes. There were parents playing and watching their kids for about 15 min.

The following is a more detailed recording of events.

11:25 am

A lady arrives in a van and heads down to the park.

2 people are playing basketball at the court ( about 20 min)

1 kid is playing in the dirt (9 min)

2 people are roller blading (10 min)

Lady walks through park with her brown dog

11:34 am 

1 guy is standing while talking on his phone as he watches his kid play in child’s playground (20 min)

1 kid is swinging

3 people are sitting on a park concrete bench (12 min)

11:40am

A guy arrives in a car with a skateboard and goes to the skate park 

6 people leave the park

1 kid is riding his bike (15 min)

1 kid is laying on his mothers lap on a concrete bench next to another person

1 teenager leaves the park with headphones and backpack on

11:45am

A smell of weed fills the air

Middle aged man walks in the park with lunch and a walking stick

Car arrives in parking lot and picks up 3 people that were sitting on the bench

11:50am 

2 more people are leaving the park

1 person comes to the park with hamburger buns

There is a cooler and balloons at the shelter. 1 person is decorating the park shelter with pink ribbon - most likely in preparation of a birthday party.

Parents are still watching their kids play

A lady prepares food a the tables at the shelter

3 kids are running around (8 min)

A man comes in with a crate of refreshments and a dog

The kid with the backpack and headphones comes back into the park with another similarly style friend, playing music from a speaker.

8 people are leaving the park

The lady from the beginning of my observance period comes back up with her child and drives off (30 min spent in park)

12:00am

5. There are various ways that people interacted with each other - those who didn’t interact went solo for their own satisfaction. Those ways include: people playing basketball, kids skating together, parents watching, and playing with their kids, kids playing with each other on playground equipment, people setting up a birthday party area, and people lying on top of each other.

6. The space was designed for people to exercise, relax, and gather together. The space accomplishes these goals that were set forth because to this day (4/2/2017) that’s how people are still using the park as it was purposed - in fact, just yesterday their was another birthday party held there, and today, there was an official dog park opening with food, and balloons, where many people gathered with or without dogs (that’s me) making the event very festive.

7. What draws people to this place is what the park has to offer. The park facilities (benches, shelter, equipment, children's playground, basketball court, and bleachers, etc.) and just the ability to walk through a scenic environment filled with serenity, beauty, and space to find yourself, makes this park ideal for many people to come to.

8. There are various issues in the park that need to be dealt with. First of all, the porta potties have been removed from the park leaving people to nowhere to go to the bathroom in park except in private bamboo fenced areas, or bushes. The second issue in the park is that people smoke weed in the park, and most likely do other drugs that are harmful to the family friendly environment that the park promotes. The third, and final issue that I see in the park is vandalism in the skate park area, where colorful yet occasionally offensive graphics can be found. I would like to improve the bathroom situation by putting back a porta potty in the park (at least for big events). Then, I would improve the social situation with park offenders (drug users, and vandalizers) by enforcing a no smoking rule, and no vandalism law by placing cameras around the shelter area, and high up in trees. Afterwards, a sign would have to be placed in the park stating that cameras are watching everyone to ensure safety and order in the park.

Plan to improve park

1. Establish security system. Though, there is a police building next to the park, that’s not enough to help in the time one needs to identify culprits.

Install cameras. 360 degree, waterproof cameras should be installed on the shelter in the park (where most illegal drug users reside).  They should also be placed in tall trees where they can stay hidden. These 360 degree cameras will be able to see all around the area in sphere perspective - hence the 360 degrees - but cameras should still be placed appropriately, and economically, to capture a good view of the park in the event that something bad happens.

2. Enforce the rules.

Police officers should be directed to enforce the rules of the park by delivering justice to those who vandalise, or use illegal drugs in the park. The offenders can be viewed on camera, should be apprehended, punished accordingly and made an example of to many others so all of the bad behaviour will stop eventually.

3. Make contract deal with porta potty company.

With such a fantastic environment to dwell in, many people would love to stay in the park for long amounts of time - though, that’s not possible if you’ll need to use the bathroom sooner than you expected. To solve the bathroom issue, the park developers should seize a deal via contract with a porta potty company so a porta potty could be placed back in the park. It was a bad idea to remove the two porta potties but if it was for financial reason then at least the porta potties should be rented for big events such as soccer games.

By following the plan outline above, the park can become a more unifying, sustainable  public place.  The use of cameras within the park will make neighboring residents, and other visitors feel more welcome but most importantly, safe. With all the eyes in the park watching, people wouldn’t need to watch their back consistently, even in paranoia, because they’ll know their is such a low chance of something bad happening with the risk of being caught so high. Furthermore, these people have less to worry about as they’ll know that the police is working hard to keep them safe by capturing park offenders whom will be made an example of (via media, but most likely by word of mouth), and soon the crime rate will die down leaving people not to expect much trouble. That social issue can’t be dealt with without the secure funding needed to implement the plan, however. Fortunately, the plan is economically friendly enough to adhere to. New equipment won’t cost much, as 360 degree camera technology can be used in place of multiple old fashioned one view cameras. In regards to porta-potties, the flexibility in options is appropriate as the the developers can either make a contract for long term use of porta-potties or just rent out the porta potties for short term use at cheaper costs for special events. After all of this done, the environment will look aesthetically pleasing without vandalism, feel and smell like nature is supposed to be, and preservation of the resources will be more easily attainable. The chance to better enjoy nature will promote civic engagement, and encourage people to gather together more often in the park. The community will have less to fear, and crime risks will decrease phenomenally. A safe environment makes a safe play area - so family freindly entertainment can be assured to be upheld in the park causing positive behavior to remain within.

Reflections

The Takoma Park Piney Branch should consider getting into a public private partnership with a private porta potty company to bring back the porta potties into the park. I find that a very promising partnership can be established between these two parties.  Over time, as trust gets stronger between the two, better deals can be made and more money can potentially be saved - the park can cut down on costs, while the porta potty company still makes a reasonable profit. Before setting up the partnership, however, it’s important that the developers for the park examine what went wrong with any previous partnerships, if possible, and improve by learning from mistakes. Perhaps, this time, the partnership could last so everyone's needs can be met in park.

In regards to designing places for people who will attend the Takoma Piney Branch Park, I believe their job has been excellently done but still on-going. The job doesn’t stop because issues need to resloved, and demands need to be met as they develop. I don’t like that the developers haven’t thought of a way to considerably mitigate the vandalism at the skate park. An increase in security, and enforcement is obviously needed. Hefty fines or punishments should be noted on signs near the park so offenders know it’s not worth the risk to spray paint on public property. The public art, though beautiful at times, can degrade the environment, making the place more undesirable to be. So, overall, in designing this park for people, it’s great that there's benches, shelter, great facilities and playgrounds, nicely spaced walkways, and preserved natural resources but all that can be brought to nought with vandalism - designing places for people includes adding security which means to design places to protect against people (defense).

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Part 2

1. The place that I selected is a park called the Takoma Piney Branch Local Park and it is located in Takoma Park. Adjacent to the park is a thriving neighborhood along with 3 conveniently placed schools. The park features a basketball court, skateboard park, volleyball site, a shelter area with benches and tables, and children's playground structures including swings and a side. The park is in constant great condition thanks to the constant upkeep, and high quality maintenance. It is currently being used as a place to engage in athletic activity, social interaction, and a gathering place for various events ranging from birthday parties to church meetings.

2. I chose this place because it is very close to where I live. I pass through this place often, usually on my way to the University. I do not feel it is underutilized, many people (young adolescents, mostly) use it. I don’t have a personal connection to this place but memories that tie my history back to the park. These memories are of me when I as at the elementary school next to the park. As children, we would often play games within the park area - though, on warm days, I would just sit in the shade of big tree on a hill, mostly. 

3. Of 16, 715 people, in 6,569 households, 49% are White, 35% are Black, and 14.5% are Hispanic or Latino - these are the three most significant races that you’ll see using the park.  Transit options include metro subway (the station is a short walk away), bus, and bikeshare. Both Uber and Lyft service the area as well. One can of course drive around as they please - there is a generously large parking lot next to the park. Types of housing include, apartments, but mostly standard family homes in the surrounding area. The community does not have any important natural features. The top three businesses in the area include, Michael and Sons, Long Roofing, and Long and Foster (Meg Fin). The community is known for it’s artsy expression via sculpture, crafts, gardening, with many comparing its citizens to that of hippies.

3. Takoma Park is known for it’s historic district. This historic district is deemed historic by the architecture of the residential homes/buildings that follow stick-style, and shingle style inspired Queen Anne Architecture. Besides the historic structures just described, there are no historic structures in or near my place.    

    4. This community does not currently face any special issues or problems. There is the Takoma Park Metro Station just a short walk away, and plenty of buses around along with capital bikeshare so transportation shouldn’t be an issue. Aside from recreational options within the park, one could jump in the public pool at the piney branch elementary school next to the park, or even engage in table tennis, video games, art galleries and more at the Takoma Park Municipal Building.

 5. As a matter of fact, within the past several years, from 2010 to 2012, the park went under redevelopment. The goal was to create a more sustainable park, that not only offered more to locals but also appeared more welcoming to visitors, and people who didn’t want to get out of the house - the look and feel of being in the park made social and physical exercise truly enjoyable than before. Currently, plans for redevelopment aren’t made but new development is on the rise as a dog park is being constructed as an addition to the park.

6. The community does not have plan for my public place. I can assess what the community wants to do with this place by looking at the Takoma Voice paper (which includes information about what’s going on in the community), and by joining the Takoma Park emailing list.

7. What first comes to mind about improving my public place is park security. There needs to be park officers or like minded individuals that report illegal activity to the police. The park has once again been occasionally occupied by drug dealers, and users. This kind of negative behavior can scare off people rather than welcome them. Furthermore, eventually the park’s quality will deteriorate - not to mention the graffiti all over the skate park.

Intro to Place Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWvzuSQNugs&feature=youtu.be

Reflection on Designing Places for People & the Ecological Footprint

In regards to designing places for people, it’s important to design a high quality environment similar to that of the Takoma Piney Branch Local Park. People are most likely to enjoy their time in a place that is well kept and tidy. According to the article, Life Between Buildings, “ When outdoor areas are of poor quality, only strictly necessary activities occur...People hurry home” whereas “ When outdoor areas are of high quality, necessary activities take place with approximately the same frequency - though they clearly tend to take a longer time, because the physical conditions are better. In addition, however, a wide range of optional activities will also occur because place and situation now invite people to stop, sit, eat, play, and so on.”. It really may seem like common sense to know these things but a lot of developers still don’t implement their projects with this in mind. Most developers are likely to develop venues just for profit, without any public art for example - leaving people to search elsewhere for a place that meets their materialistic or even emotional needs. Personally, If I see a gloomy looking street shop venue, or park, that looks deserted yet may have some good features such as a shiny water fountain, or great products for sale, I still won’t go into that place because of the look and feel. I will fear for my safety, and If nobody is around even if it’s a sunny day, I don’t want to be around in a ghost town by myself. People find safety in having others around them, that’s why craigslist sellers meet in public places that have plenty of “eyes on the street” (as Jane Jacobs would say) - they know that transactions are less likely to go wrong when everyone is watching. So, It’s really important to have high quality designed public place such as the Takoma Piney Branch Local Park so people can do anything from just sitting down to rest, to making sales using an online service.

When one looks at the ecological footprint in the Takoma Piney Branch Local Park, the goal of conserving natural resources while establishing an outstanding recreational facility for outdoor engagement has been successfully achieved.  Much of the green space, such as the soccer field, has been kept in shape. Trees, and even bamboo trees (a very special rare occurrence) have been kept in the park thus giving the setting a very authentic feel. Preserving natural resources such as these can prove a challenge, however. Not only must the park be regularly maintained (which the park staff is doing a fabulous job of), the users of the park must be kept in check - which goes back to what I said about improving the park with security. The kids love to hide and play within the bamboo trees doing whatever they possible can. One day, I witnessed kids from the schools in the park trying to light bamboo tops on fire - I reckon they may been going jungle crazy as if they came out of  William Goulding’s ‘Lord of the Flies’.  I also remember seeing a man harvesting bamboo sticks and measuring them with his body on the ground. I like the fact that I can still interact with what I like to consider foreign vegetation, and that this preservation of natural resources interest the kids and adults alike. It seems very promising to the support of the natural environment, and sustainability of the park.

Citation:

Unknown Author. “Three Types of Outdoor Activities ” Life Between Buildings. Print.

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Two Places I Love & Reflection

Out of all the places I could think of, here are two places that I love:

Takoma Piney Branch Local Park 

Located next to Piney Branch Elementary School, the Takoma Piney Branch Local Park has grown significantly over the past ten years, and continues to do so to the benefit of the community. Once, as far as I can remember, it was just a park with simple infrastructure: playground equipment, tennis and basketball courts, and lots of green space to run around in or sit (just make sure you don’t land on dog poo). As of now, the park is booming in development. Having established a skate park (for people like me), upgraded playground equipment and courts for kids and adults alike, and started development for a dedicated green space for dogs makes me love this place. Without a doubt, it’s more community friendly then it was before.

Downtown Silver Spring

Hosting some of best shops, eats, and live entertainment available, downtown Silver Spring is definitely a winner on my list. I love this place because it has something for everyone. If you don’t like live music, or other performances, you could go to the movies watch the latest blockbuster. Suppose you got tired of sitting around on the benches at Veterans plaza - then, you could choose to get athletic and show off your awesome ice skating skills at the ice rink or (if the ice rink isn’t there) you could just walk around as you sip your Kung Fu Tea inside Elsworth Place Mall, or around the block exploring your myriad of options to engage with on a hot summer day. The point is that with all the options available for someone, Downtown Silver Spring is sure to not disappoint one - and if you liked reading this then perhaps you’ll love reading books at the new Downtown Silver Spring Library, or perhaps you already are from the comfort of the new portable workstation on Elsworth Ave. designed by architecture students from the local community college, Montgomery College.

Reflection on Equity and the Built Environment

Of the two built environments that I described above, both have achieved the goal of being equitable to the community. These places are openly and easily accessible to many people - the Takoma Park metro station is less that 2 miles away from the Takoma Piney Branch Local Park, and the Silver Spring metro station is about a block away from the heart of Downtown Silver Spring (DSS). So, there shouldn’t be a problem for most people wanting to get access to these public areas. 

Green spaces are very important to the community. That’s why parks and other green areas are established within the built environment. According to an article by Howard Frumkin,  “ Parks and green spaces represent critically important environmental amenities; contact with nature is highly valued, and it offers a range of health benefits.  In cities and towns, parks are the principal venue for regular public access to nature. Parks also offer settings for physical activity and social interaction ” This is most likely why the Takoma Piney Branch Local park is being built up more - the people behind the project beleive this will strengthen the community in a variety of ways. Personally, the feeling of walking through an aesthetically pleasing place on a morning makes me feel more trusting of my future. Frumkin goes on to say that  “Racial and ethnic considerations arise in at least two ways. First, racial and ethnic groups vary in their preferences for park features and activities. For example, blacks tend to prefer recreational uses while whites tend to favor land conservation and blacks prefer more highly structured and maintained parks, with more facilities, than do whites. These differences call for culturally sensitive park design”. 

The Takoma Piney Branch Local Park has a large field adjacent to a high quality basketball court, a fantastic skate park, children’s play area, and a shelter and seating area - and above all this is a huge green space for dogs being established. The new promising establishments, and upgrades within the park has been largely funded by the Steve Francis Foundation. Steve Francis is a black former All-Start NBA player who had the basketball court named after him - so, because he grew up in that area, there is obviously support for people in the area just like himself, black and male, who aspire to become professional basketball players, and high quality facilities would compliment their hard work very well. While this development may be more favorable to blacks than whites, overall, there is a great balance in being equitable to everyone in regards to land preservation, and high quality maintenance and structure within the park.  Those who aren’t pleased seek improvement in meeting community needs - such as suggesting the highly debated dog park in town hall meetings that were predominantly attended by whites.  

As for DSS there are several nearby parks within walking distance, that feature the same kind of park facilities aforementioned. There used to be a large green space in what’s now called Veteran’s Plaza, at the heart of DSS. Benches provide a better place to sit than a hard grass ground, and ice skating can actually be more fun than playing frisbee perhaps. In accordance to what Frumkin had to say about culturally sensitive park design, again, the area has come to favor more blacks than whites as land preservation has been kicked out farther away and replaced with athletic facilities and high quality structured venues (which I personally believe would not disappoint both races). One can agree that in recognizing population changes, and demographics, the development of DSS is being fair and equitable - enjoyable parks are still a short walk away.

Citation:

Frumkin, Howard. “Guest Editorial: Health, Equity, and the Built Environment.” Environmental Health Perspectives 113.5 (2005): A290–A291. Print.