Prospect Park. special. Assignment 3 l Lucy Barthel l February 9, 2015 l Ariel Churi

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1 Prospect Park Assignment 3 l Lucy Barthel l February 9, 2015 l Ariel Churi I ve been very interested in the universal response to the park I ve found through research. There s the impression that we all use the park differently, yet it is set up in a way where we would all walk identical paths, enjoying the natural beauty with the anonymity of city dwellers. It s a fascinating commentary on the individual amongst the identical, ways we interact with each other, how we do the same things, yet all want to be special. This independence-seeking behavior has manifested itself online. Posting opinions and reviews is a way to create a platform for one s voice to be heard. This action proclaiming independence ends up in a cloud of others, combining itself into a central force to create one review of something. This response to a natural beauty is incongruent with the messy unpredictable force of nature. I am special

2 A E I O U I used he AEIOU method to discuss my visit with Prospect Park. It seemed like a good place with which to reiterate my observations of Prospect Park in assignment 1. The activities involved those of relaxation in general: sports, dance, reading, napping, eating, drinking, smoking, walking a dog, playing with children. The environment of the park is it s most attractive feature with the foliage, decade old deciduous and pine trees and many small paths on with to ramble. The interactions of users are generally positive, much more so than they would be on a street corner in Manhattan. The objects featured by users were dog leashes, baby strollers, picnic baskets, and sports equipment. Users are of a great variety, multiple ages from baby to senior and all kinds of ethnicities and visible class ranges. Instead of discussing with a team, I combined this method of research with a survey. By interviewing users of Prospect Park, I was able to hold the same standard for them as I do myself. I interviewed 5 men in their 20s, all friends who live by the park. Activities Environments Interactions Objects Users

3 A E I O U Surveys

4 I freed my turtle in the lake.

5 Literature Reviews In congruency with Assignment 1 I have sourced more data from Yelp, reading all reviews of the park to understand what people like about it, don t like and what s missing. In correspondence to the previous AEIOU surveys, I was able to find relating themes from various park reviews. The majority of Yelp reviews mentioned drinking alcohol or smoking marijuana, some in positive ways, some in negative ways. Here are examples of various Yelp reviews, with the words drink drinking and smoke highlighted.

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7 Literature Reviews The best parties are often on the grass outside the door, where everyone is frolicking BK style, tats and all, drinking some wine, beer or smokin a bit.... a shady element cursing and blasting music, rough kids and their drunk parents (yes, drinking in public on a playground while their older kids terrorize on the baby equipment) ruining the extremely overcrowded play grounds... Do not be surprised if they are guzzling 40s of Colt 45 or OE. Do not be surprised if they are smoking weed. Now that I m older, there s a little less running around, a little more beer-drinking. Like most parks in NYC, you will definitely come across people drinking out of a brown paper bag...

8 Biergarten in Prospect Park Example of a biergarten layout Wedding reception at the boathouse I propose the Prospect Park Biergarten to be added to the western side of the Long Meadow in Prospect Park. There are already many responses made for those interested in healthy activities such as bike paths, running trails and dog runs. I discovered in my interviews and the literature from Yelp that recreational drinking and smoking is a large part of the culture as well, and there s no place designated to enjoy your drink or smoke.

9 By adding the Prospect Park Biergarten this would increase the usage and create higher reviews from customers. How: Providing Safety for children who could be harmed by irresponsible intoxicated adults. Allowing for users of the park to work in accordance with the pre existing alcohol usage laws that they are currently breaking. Increasing the variety of social settings available in the park. Giving wedding parties an alternative place to the boat house in which continue the celebration. Preventing an increasing accumulation of trash leftover from careless partiers. By having a designated smoking section, Prospect Park Biergarten would be lowering risk of second hand smoke. Providing a safe place to enjoy Prospect Park in many recreational ways.

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