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Originally Posted by Charlatan
The issue is two-fold.
1) it is an example of how stupid some people can be (ie the security guard)
and
2) it is an eample of how our traditional public spaces, town squares and shopping streets have been subsumed by private interests who continually attempt to control the messy edge of public life. You may say, "so what, where's the Gap?" but I think this is a big issue that not enough people consider.
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I'm going to say that the public space isn't endangered. You can stand in Times Square and shout to your hearts content. You can even use a bullhorn if you like.
Confusing malls as "the new town square" is an oxymoron because the original town squares are owned by the local cities and are public spaces. Malls are private spaces allowing the public to enter.
Shopping streets still exist all over America. Shopping streets still exist in SE Asia where Malls coexist with them. But public spaces where people can gather for free speech and free assembly that has nothing to do with malls.
But people, read consumers prefer malls because parking is simpler and easier, they can access more stores without having to move their car. There's STUFF to do in malls, unlike at the park where you may have to actually sit and be still, you may have to actually talk to the people that you are with about substantive subjects instead of cajoling at the new funny shirts at Spencer Gifts.
I stopped by Union Square Park last night and at 9:30PM it was packed. There were hundreds of people there. If I went to Washington Square Park it probably would have been the same.
Now when I was in Madrid last year, they had plenty of shopping streets, some even with no car traffic. Puerta del Sol was packed with hundreds of people.
What are all these people doing???? They are enjoying being outside and doing whatever from singing and playing guitar with their friends, to reading a book. Some just eating outside to chatting with their friends.
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