I observed Old Landover Park on Thursday, March 28, 2019 from 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. It was about 60 degrees, and sunny outside. It was a beautiful day. I gazed over the small pond in front of me. The water was tranquil and smooth . You could hear the birds chirping, and the gentle heat from the sun.
During my observation of the park, not one person visited! I was stunned by this finding. As I left the park I saw children who were walking home from school. I decided that I should go back when I knew most children and their parent’s would be home to see if there was more activity in the park. I returned to observe the park from 5:00 p.m. to 5:20 p.m. Still no one came by to visit the park. Since I live approximately a quarter mile from the park I decided to drive past a few more times in hopes of finding some type of noteworthy traffic for my report. I drove by at 6:19 p.m. on Thursday and again Friday, March 28, 2019 from 2:50 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. The weather was even more friendly Friday at 70 degrees. Still not one person seen at the Park during my observation. This was extremely surprising to me that no one was drawn to the park on both beautiful days. Not even just to pass through, not one person came by the park.
In this community I have noticed that people mostly keep to themselves. People rarely interact with strangers as there are no incentives to do so. Citizens lack pride and respect for the neighborhood, and leave debris and trash everywhere.
Old Landover Park was designed for people to be able to enjoy an outdoor facility. The area is perfect for people who like water. It provides relaxation, recreation, and an escape from reality. It is meant to serve as enjoyment for the residents of Landover, and that is not what Old Landover Park is today. The beauty and serenity of the water, the natural surrounding, the stroke of the gentle breeze, and the aura is what should attracts people to visit Old Landover Park. Unfortunately, these things are lost in the neglect of the park.
Old Landover Park holds great potential, however, there are many issues that concern not only the park but the community as a whole. There is no designated walking areas the park, no seating arrangement at the public bust stops or within the park . Trash scattered throughout the park, pond, and streams. No trash system at the park. Additional debris, such as twigs and larger sticks cover a sizable amount of the space. The pond is poorly maintained and the drain infrastructure is outdated and painful to see. These are some of the key issues I would like to tackle.
Part 3 – Plans to Improve Old Landover Park
The following improvements would be made to Old Landover Park:
1) A small green (environmentally friendly) tartan track surrounding the pond for community members to walk on and promote health through exercising. This also provides the opportunity for the services of child and adult recreational programs.
2) Addition of electricity and optional lighting for various activities or events that will occur in the future (possible annual community barbecue).
3) Addition of restroom facilities necessary to keep the grounds sanitary.
4) Addition of movable chair station for visitors to sit whenever and wherever they please while at the park.
5) Formation and addition of a volunteer park clean up crew combination of local youth and adults (possibility for environmental club).
6) Formation of a task force to clear the beach of all fallen trees and tree debris, and to treat the grass as well as the pond (city funded non-volunteer).
7) Upgrade to all existing infrastructure mainly the signs representing the park and the drain infrastructure with the addition of a sufficient playground set and trash system.
If the aforementioned additions and improvements were made to Old Landover Park, the area would prove to become a sustainable recreational facility for the city of Landover, Maryland. It would encourage a greater amount of interaction between community members. With the additions, the park would appear to be more welcoming, which would in turn facilitate interaction between residents, neighbors, and visitors.
When the park is cleaned of the fallen trees and the additional debris, residents will be able to take pride in their neighborhood park. They will be able to enjoy the view of the pond while walking on the track or watching their children play on the play set, comfortably sit and enjoy leisure time at the park without worrying about seating arrangements, and enjoy a more open active area. In turn, their satisfaction of the new and improved park will ignite a wish to keep it clean from the youngest to the oldest member of the community, and maintain it for years to come. I also have obligated the local government in helping maintain the park. The improvements will foster a sense of community and pride within the neighborhood.
Part 3 – Reflection
For this reflection part of my project I would like to shed light on an interesting news article I found that relates to two topics Introduction to Law and Climate Change we have been learning about in class. I thought this article was extremely interesting and especially meaningful as Maryland resident. The state of Maryland filed a civil suit against Volkswagen and Audi after the company admitted to cheating on emissions tests back in 2015. According to the suit, nearly 13,000 diesel Volkswagens were equipped with “defeat devices,” which allowed their excessive nitrogen oxide emissions to go unnoticed during inspections. The excessive emissions allowed as much as 40 times the legal limit of emissions. I was shocked and disgusted at the disregard for our citizens by these large corporations.
Greenhouse gas emission is causing global warming at a dangerous rate and one of our top auto companies knowingly and purposefully poured 40 times the legal limit of emissions into the environment. Since this was a civil case and the parties at fault cannot be punished with jail time like in a criminal case, reparations for the damage Maryland was awarded $75.7 million in the settlement with Volkswagen AG, Audi AG and Volkswagen Group of America.
Now to combat the extra emissions from the tampered vehicles the company exposed us to, Maryland is using about one-third of the money from the settlement on all electric school bus initiatives and charge station infrastructure for electric powered vehicles. I thought it was great that Maryland took the money won from the suit and applied it to the same goal that was disrupted. While I’m sure the other projects the rest of the money will be funding are important as well, I think they should have used it all to combat climate change and greenhouse gas emissions.
Sustainable Placemaking: Building Community Project 