‘Occupy’ protest sites a good thing, say landscape architects

Public gathering spaces help the U.S. promote civic engagement

By Roger Showley / SignOnSanDiego / November 1, 2011

Roger Showley, San Diego U-T Columnist for upteen years, PLHS Class of 1966

The takeover of parks, plazas and other public spaces by the “Occupy Wall Street” movement is a good thing, said a panel of landscape architects on the future of cities Tuesday at the American Society of Landscape Architects convention meeting in San Diego.

“I am so thrilled that we have reclaimed these places as places of protest and how important they are,” said Maurice Cox, former mayor of Charlottesville, Va., who now teaches urban design at the University of Virginia.

“These places are meant to be where you could petition your government and be heard. You’re seeing it across the county. People are trying to find places across the world where they can get their voices heard. That needs to be enabled… The fact that people are shocked that people would have a protest (in a public plaza)!”

Martha Schwartz, a landscape architect from Boston now working in London, said Americans are rediscovering the role of public spaces in shaping our democracy.

For the remainder of this very interesting article by Roger Showley, PLSH Class of 1966, go here.