Quote:
Originally Posted by realcity
This has to be the most peculiar objections in Canada/US civic planning. Like there is something wrong with socializing and hanging out? This is what social animals do. Esp the age groups that are figuring out what they like/dislike in people. European cities actually build hang-out places, called Piazzas, public squares, etc. Young people often find their future partner/spouse/friends in these hang-outs and older people visit them after dinner to talk to and meet their friends and family. These hang-outs are the cores of neighbourhoods.
I can see why the powers that be object to these 'hang-outs' because they are often where grass-roots politics, free-thinking, arts, public speaking take place. In fact, Democracy was born from one of these hang-outs/public squares in Athens.
It is the most bizarre thing to NOT want these public hang-outs. No wonder kids are fat and bored.
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so friggin true.
It's why I hate the idea to remove the grassed area from Gore. I love to sit in the park drinking a coffee watching the young folks sitting on the grass playing the guitar or just laying there looking up to the sky, talking.
our society doesn't seem to know how to do that anymore.
Imagine all the great piazza's in Europe having to install massive video screens and blaring music to get people to come and hang out.
Maybe St Peter's Square should get with the times and have huge X-box screens and massive MTV videos hanging from the historic buildings around the square.