Why do some neighbourhoods have brilliant parks, while others are built like prison playgrounds; metal, unbreakable? Myopic tendencies.
My first thought is leadership. Some neighbourhoods lack visionary and strategic leadership. This is evident in poor and rich neighbourhoods alike. They lack the ability to see what is possible, sticking with a defensive approach based on what they assume is probable (vandalism, low usage). They miss the point; if you build something worthy of attention, it will get it…if not, well you get the point.
Secondly, it’s money. Sometimes this is lack of it, while other times it is priorities for the money.
What would happen if a substantial local social business with a great commercial mind put money into local infrastructure? It would have less money for targeted programmes, but wouldn’t the overall impact of brilliant public space create the strategic change it was seeking anyway?
In the end, without strategic leadership and money, the myopic brigade rules and we all lose something.
Related posts:
