More Parks Are Needed

Sifang Hong
Majda Samri
Rosalina Nava

How do you usually spent in your spare time? Do you still remember playing games at the playground or parks in your childhood? If there is an option, would you like your child have a wonderful childhood, stick with their little friends at the park, or stay home 24/7? However, now, we can hardly see any more playgrounds in Chicago. There are several reasons for this problem. One of the main reasons is that the number of parks is the increase much less rapidly than the increase of buildings. Another primary reason is that there seem to be too old and small parks. The last chief reason is that parks are not sitting balanced; there are more on the north side and less on the south side.

Our suggestions to deal with the problem are as follows. To begin with, it is urgent to create more new parks. Chicago is a sprawling city, and it is the third biggest city in the U.S.A. More and more people are moving to Chicago. The greater the population there is in a locality, the greater the need for parks. We usually feel crowded when we walk or play in the park. We should build more parks to fit the increasing residents, especially because children need enough place to play. Secondly, certain parks that are going outdated should be improved. These old parks should be replaced by modern parks with enhanced new equipment and bettering existing equipment. Simple exercise equipment, playground equipment, tables and chairs for entertainment, facilities should be everywhere. By the way, safety is more important than equipment for a park to be improved. Finally, the distribution of parks should be more equal. The need of parks is not according to economy of the district but the population of the district. There are more parks needed in the south of Chicago. We need to balance the allocation of public resources.

In all, more functional parks are needed. With the continuous development of urban construction in Chicago, the surrounding parks should keep pace with gradually increasing population. We should spare no effort to beautify our environment and provide higher-quality living environment for residents.