How does one alter public space? The altering of public spaces means to change the atmosphere of a public area in either a positive or negative way. Some people alter public space based off their appearance, and others with their actions. There are many ways to alter public space, and it happens way more than one may realize. There are not many times in my life where I distinctly remember altering public space, but there are a few significant times that stand out to me. The three most pivotal and memorable experiences that I have had in which I altered public space are the tornado on April 27, 2011, when I first moved to Alabama from Ohio, and when I went to a camp in Colorado for 5 weeks. The most memorable of these three events is the 2011 tornado. I remember watching the weather channel as it was spotted heading toward Tuscaloosa, only for the power to go out minutes later. I remember going to the heart of the devastation that evening and just walking around amazed as I looked around at what looked like a war zone at the time. The very next day my family and I went out into devastated areas and handed out food and water to those who lost their homes. It was in doing this that I can look back and notice how I altered …show more content…
I used to live in a big neighborhood surrounded with friends that I had for almost 10 years. When I moved away most of those friendships died off and I hardly got to see any of them again. I did not know anyone in my new neighborhood and I never developed any friendships like those that I previously had. This altered public space because I no longer had any influence, whether it was positive or negative, on the lives of my childhood friends. In my new neighborhood, my presence created tension because no one knew me and I did not know them. I altered the public space is a positive way in my old neighborhood, but in a negative way in my new
Many people’s behaviors can be affected by the type of people around them. Even though most public sidewalks, stores, and churches are open to all sorts of people, certain types of individuals are treated like outcasts because of their race. In “Just Walk On By,” Brent Staples explains how his presence makes others scared and uncomfortable because of the assumptions put on black men. Staples tries various tactics, such as whistling and walking faster, in order to deal the way others act towards him. Staples isn't the only one to experience the power of altering public spaces. At the beach last spring break, I realized that I also had an ugly affect on others because of my presence. Like Staples, I tried different ways to make others feel
The most memorable thing that happened to me would have to be when I got to see my favorite sports team play, the Detroit Tigers. This was my first time ever watching them play and I was excited to see what I was about to encounter. It was a hot summer day when we went to Comerica Park, when we went to go see them play. Our seats we right on the first base line, a perfect spot for a foul ball to come my way. The Tigers were winning throughout the whole game up on the last inning Miguel Cabrera hit a walk off home run that won them the game. Going to the game was a great opportunity for me to get to see the skills and work that they put into the game. This helped me see just how important it is to work as a team and support each other on and
Altering public space can be a negative or positive thing. It is something that changes or adjusts something or someone. You can alter space positively by planting a tree in an empty plot so it can grow big. It can be a friendly smile on someone’s face that joyfully spreads to everyone else. It can also be a beautiful building or a park that transformed something old, unused, or outdated. Any of these ways and more can alter public space positively, and we should always strive to do things that way. There will always be negative in life but it is up to you think positive, act positive, and do things in a positive way. Then without you even realizing it, you will alter public space in a positive way as
The most memorable event in my life was when we moved out from Russia to a country that changes lives and is known as a dream land called the United States of America. When we sat on the airplane that was going toward the United States in August of 2004, we knew our lives are going to be changed in the way we always wanted them to. After twelve years of not going to school and being discriminated by Russian citizens, this moving to a new country was the most amazing, not just in my life generally, but for my entire family as well.
The fifth, and final, event that I chose is the Dust Bowl. The Dust Bowl is another sad time in our history. This harmed not only people, but the environment and agriculture as well. It damaged many U.S. prairies and Canadian prairies. This event also isn’t talked about in great depth and detail like wars are, but it too is important. This event served as a wake-up call to the many Americans who were farmers. It helped our country to realize that what we have, we need to use wisely so that it doesn’t go to
Public spaces are social spaces where social phenomena happens, different activities leading to different social relations and interactions. Spaces with own rhythms of use and regulations that one can discover or rediscover in different cultural context.10 steven To understand how architecture can activate public spaces through play to make social spaces, spaces for public life, this paper first investigates how architecture defines the nature of a public spaces with the possibility of engaging public into play. Then, the paper discuss how play can engage people to redefine spaces and find something that have in common with others. And finally, how people can obtain their freedom through playing in a space will be explored. To do so, the
Public space can easily be changed if you belong to certain minority groups that are stereotyped and devalued, such as being a person of color. Brent Staples describes his “ability to alter public space in ugly ways” in his essay “Just Walk On By: A Black Man Ponders His Power to Alter Public Space” (239). Racial profiling is still a discernible issue in America and Staples’ essay is a perfect example of the damaging effects racial profiling has on people of color. He recounts the event that caused him to become aware of the change his presence creates in public and the steps he took to help people not fear him during the walks he took at night to help battle his insomnia.
How does one have the power to alter public space? Well Brent Staples explains how he learned about his “power” and how it changed that way he lived in his article, “ Just walk on By: A Black Man Ponders His Power to Alter Public Space”. He tells how the way people perceived him started to change the way he lived or did things. While revealing his journey of how he dealt with this new power, Staples uses varied forms of figurative language, like imagery, metaphors and vocabulary, in his writing to help him reveal his journey.
A section reads that “in the absence of walkable public places… people of diverse ages, races, and beliefs are unlikely to meet and talk” (60). In my neighborhood, the only place anyone could really go was the park but people mostly drove. The Florida heat and careless drivers made a lot of people avoid walking at all costs, but depending on the area we were in it changed. On the street of my neighborhood, no one even really acknowledged anyone else. In the nearby parks or amusement places, people were a lot more willing to interact with one another because they all wanted to be there and felt comfortable. In creating a safer, more pleasant environment for pedestrians, people’s willingness to interact with people they normally wouldn’t was significantly more
My first memory is when I got to fly down to Atlanta, Georgia for the National 4-H Congress during Thanksgiving break. This was my first national 4-H event that I went to and it was really different from the regional and state events that I have attended. I got to meet so many people from all across the country and even Puerto Rico! It
In Brent Staples’ personal essay “Black Men and Public Space”, he tells the readers what happen to a young black man in an urban setting. He pinpointed that people often stereotype you because of color, race, gender, culture or appearance. In addition, the author expresses to us that he notices the space between him and other people, such as women on the street. Some people may disagree that women set a certain amount of space when walking by a black man on the street. This statement is not true and public space is not about race, gender, color, culture, or appearance.
My most significant experience in my life is unforgettable. I was there with my sisters, my mom, and my dad. It was the most horrifying event that I have ever witnessed. The daunting image in my head is still clear as day, as though it happened yesterday. This event did not affect only me, but also my family. The story that I am about to tell you may change the way you see things and it may not. All I can say is, it
This topic is very significant because over the past several decades, urban and neighborhood planners have strayed away from green spaces throughout their projects. Green spaces encourage interaction among citizens as well as improving the environment in the vicinity. In this divisive political climate, it is almost necessary to provide areas where families and individuals can come together and enjoy a less stressful environment.
The privatization and fragmentation of space in post-industrial urban America is a widespread social problem. As society becomes even more globalized as a result of technological advances, the rampant spread of a privatized public realm is ever-increasing. Public space is needed as a center in which to bring people together to share a common place. It is within public spaces that public life unfolds and without public spaces such as parks, streets, and buildings, the mixing of classes will become increasingly uncommon. Society is made up of two sectors: the private and public, and it is essential that both remain separate entities. However, through the use of fear tactics especially the threat of
Space that is documented and utilized by humans, whether directly or indirectly, takes on a basic level of social utility and cultural construction. As Elias Canetti would suggest, the prospect of touch carries with it the risk of being taken and subsequently assimilated or digested (1). The predecessors to the first great urban parks in the United States, namely country estates, cemeteries, and town squares or plazas, all contribute some aesthetic and related ideological basis for a newly emerging discourse of urban parks. Parks were seen as the “poor-man’s countryside,” in reference to the country estates of the wealthy. Also, cemeteries were the first naturalistic open spaces consistently built within urban boundaries. The idea of the commons and town square is perhaps the most telling predecessor of the city park.