Rethinking Urban Parks. Public Space and Cultural Diversity – Setha Low, Dana Taplin and Suzanne Scheld

Main finding
The authors sought to understand the social processes - including conflicts over access and control and cultural values that lead to place attachment - which make spaces into places. Their case studies look at patterns of design and management, the homogenization of urban space, surveillance, and private maintenance. They argue for diversity in public spaces claiming its importance for the under-represented, cultural property rights, political meaning, and ethical concerns over historical interpretations. People, whose lives are to be affected by the park, should be consulted about renovations and visitation patterns should be analyzed as one way to address the exclusion of certain people. The authors further claim that public space is truly so only if it’s completely public, countering this to private spaces with conspicuous consumption, seductive spaces, and restrictions on self-expression and social relationships.

Description of method used in the article
This was a review of Rethinking Urban Parks. Public Space and Cultural Diversity by Setha Low, Dana Taplin, and Suzanne Scheld. The reviewer discussed the anthropological methods used in the authors' research such as "thick" descriptions and Rapid Ethnographic Assessment Procedure (REAP) to study cultural groups and cultural place attachment.

Verdict
Of practical use