The link above is to an NPR story I heard yesterday and felt inclined to share. I'll let you read it but I found it interesting based on the fact that I posted an article from earlier this summer about an Eco village development in a section of Washington D.C. The fact that they were talking about Washington caught my attention and then when they mentioned the development I was hooked, I missed the end because I would have been late for work, but the main gist is repurposing an old bridge in D.C. into a park that links a high income neighborhood with a low income neighborhood. The possibilities are amazing: green spaces, playgrounds, a community market, parade grounds, outdoor fitness!
And it would give recreational space to the city without taking up precious real estate.
The main concern from citizen surprised me a little and I realized how valid a fear it is. The people on the low income side are afraid it will better the area so well that their property values will rise and they will have to move. I am not from a wealthy family, my parents were a farmer and a teacher, but my thought process lead me to worry that the high income folks would be upset about the possibility of perhaps crime or anything associated with low income housing. How pretentious of me? I should be of the mindset of the people concerned with having to uproot because they feel the area they live in would be above their socioeconomic stature. I hate the thought that people are made to feel that way and all the more reason to design and believe in open spaces and green common grounds to bridge the gap between people.
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