The Opening of a New Park

In the picture, a new park in a housing estate has just opened and people have come down to use it. Two children are running across the open lawn, a family is walking along the path with a baby in a stroller, and a man is walking his dog behind them. On the right, an elderly couple are sitting on a bench in the shade. What I also noticed is that the young trees still have wooden stakes tied to them to hold them upright, so this park was only planted recently and has not had time to grow in yet.

There is a small park two blocks from my flat with a jogging path around the edge. My father and I go down most evenings after dinner, and while he walks the loop I usually cycle. What I like is that it is busy without being crowded — you always see the same few faces, the aunty who walks her two dogs, the uncles playing chess at the pavilion. One evening my chain came off and one of those uncles put it back on for me without being asked. I would never have met him if we only stayed upstairs.

I think it is important, and being small is the reason rather than the objection. Most of us live in flats without gardens, so a park is the only open space a family actually has. It is also where people meet neighbours they would otherwise never speak to, because you cannot bump into anyone in a lift lobby. I understand why some people argue that land here is scarce and that the same plot could hold flats or a school, which is a fair point when housing is expensive. However, I believe a city where there is nowhere to go outside becomes a place people only sleep in, and that is not the same as somewhere you want to live.