Public ream and public space

Public ream and public space

Public space or public realm is any area or place that is open to all people, regardless of race, age, gender, ethnicity, or socioeconomic level. These public gathering spaces include squares, plaza, and parks. Places that are connecting people, such as sidewalks and streets, are also known as public space. Pedestrians take advantage of the public space to connect and interact with each other; it’s through this they can socialize and create relationships. Some people use the space to eat, chat, and exercise with no one distracting them. There is no limitation to public space as long as people follow the rules like maintaining the parks and leaving them clean. There are two types of public realms, which are public realms that can be accessed freely and private realms that one has to pay a small fee to access it. However, many public places are accessible freely, thus promoting equality and understanding among the members of the public. Therefore, this research study will discuss what is happening to public space and the public realm.

Over the past years, people used to take advantage of public space; parks and playgrounds were mostly visited by families with children. Through this, people were able to interact with the outside world freely. Not many people were able to afford refrigerators and freezers, and therefore visiting the market for grocery shopping was more often. The outside world was more fun than the inside world; however, things have changed over the past years. The technology has changed a lot of things; for instance, according to (Hutter, 1961), social media has taken over, making activities on public space to diminish. Internet shopping has taken over, and now people shop via websites given by entrepreneurs. People can shop for clothes, electronics, and food, thus limiting movements. People no longer get to meet each other on the streets, buses, and trains.

According to (Barbara, 1996), walking on the streets, which has thousands of people, is not an easy task. There are roads to close, which have many cars moving up and down. A person should learn and have an understanding of how the roads operate, and the meaning of the signs. Without this knowledge, it’s tough to maneuver around the streets. Bumping into many people on the streets is also a challenge, and this is because people have different behaviours. Walking on the streets needs concentration because people don’t move in the same direction at the same time. A person needs to learn to give way to a person coming from the opposite direction to avoid bumping to each other. There are people with a terrible attitude, and the moment you bump to them even by accident, they end up being rude or even use vulgar language.

Mutual trust is one of the essentials traits among the people because it is crucial when it comes to public space. When a person is out in a crowded place, the only way to be at ease is to trust the person next to him. Riding a bus is very common in many cities, and it is expected when a person board he should grab the first sit that is empty. However, that is not the case, especially for women, they choose to sit next to a person who looks presentable and can be trusted. Community culture indicates that people should not decide who to associate with and also not act out of fear or anger. Some people misbehave, making the people on the streets not to be at ease. Such people can make the crowd react, which is not the norm of the people to do so. Many public places have now introduced the rules to be followed by every person visiting the area.

Public reams and public space as a place to spend leisure time needs discipline because there are people of different ages. People can be in the street to wait for friends, or even for something to happen. No one has an idea what the other person is doing out there, and therefore the best way to keep everything in a sober mood is behaving. People are different; some people will move to the park because there are looking for some sunshine. Other people love nature and will move from one place to another in search of a well-maintained environment. The admiration of nature is something that is followed by many people, and that is the reason the streets look great. People are contributing a lot to nature by planting trees and conserving the little that is left.

People move to the street either individually or as a group; they sit on places provided for the public to use either for chit chat or as a form of adventure. Many streets are too noisy, but the members of the public do not look bothered as long as they can continue with their conversation. Many streets have loud music, some are doing advertisements, and therefore the place ends up looking chaotic. However, for the people who are in the street, they seem not to care; actually, if they ever find the street quiet, then they will know there is a problem. Public space has also helped people to exercise proximity. This is because they get to have time and space for each other, thus improving their relationship. This has become a norm to them, and they now have days when they meet specifically on a certain, and they make changes now and then. It has helped them to explore and interact more (Williams, 2014).

As much as public space and public realm are essential, people have raised many concerns that are a bother to them. For instance, not everyone is a people person; one may choose to explore the outside but still want to be alone. Many people are not social, whereas there are people who want to be in certain groups, but they get rejected. It’s a terrible behaviour to stare, pry, or even eavesdrop to people conversation when it does not concern you. A person may pretend to read a newspaper while listening to a conversation that involves people’s lives and problems. Such a person irritates people because he will not help, so why then does he has to poke his ears to people business. This behaviour has now contributed to people staying back at home and now choosing social media as their means of communication, thus limiting socialization.

To summarize, public space and public realm are the most visited places in the cities; however, people have different ways of doing things. Many people go out to the street for fun while others prefer the quiet life. Discipline is something that should be exercised because the community is of different cultures, and what is right to one person may be wrong to the other. As discussed above, public space may create a good relationship or create enmity. This is because there are people who go out with good intentions, while others cause conflict among the people. However, people who choose to be on the street should focus on the positive side when on public space and the public realm. They should use the area for chit-chatting, creating new friends and relationships. Even though some negativity may still come up, it’s best to take the positivity and ignore the negativity.

Coronavirus is a pandemic disease that has affected the people globally; its effect is huge to the world. Public space and public realm will be affected more because it’s a communicable disease. Some norms should be followed to avoid catching the virus, which is maintaining high hygiene and keeping distance. A public place is always crowded, and therefore it’s advised to stay back at home. The disease has created a lot of fear and tension among the people. People who were living as a family before are now living as strangers. Meeting on the street and saying hi is a normal thing, but with coronavirus on the rise, things have changed. There are no people in the public space because people are exercising social distancing to avoid catching the virus. Fear has risen in the last couple of months since death rise is very high. Therefore, public space and the public realm will be highly affected because it will take time before things go back to normal and for people to interact regularly.

References

E Barbara Phillips, City Lights: Urbana-Suburban Life in the Global Society (Second Edition). New York: Oxford University Press,         1996.

Hutter, m. encountering strangers public realm [Ebook]. 1961

Williams, A. (2014). The Social Life of Chinese Small Urban Spaces