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\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/sup>I believe my proposed pier parks would contribute to the Common Good by providing access to free physical (and subsequently emotional, though a beautiful park on the ocean may alone provide emotional) wellness to all. Due to its proximity to the wealthier neighborhoods and business district of Portland, I do not foresee a shift in the homeless population away from Deering Oaks Park, an area close to the lower-class neighborhoods, shelter, and Preble Street sanctuary. Regardless, my additional proposal to construct middle- and high-class housing, as part of the greater pier system, would further deter a homeless migration. Low argues that the privatization and commercialization of public spaces is necessary to their future and points out that they induce an expected level of class in the public space.4 <\/sup>While this may seem to subvert the \u201cright to the city\u201d as Lefebrev puts it, or \u201cthe right to sleep unmolested in a city park\u201d, as Mitchell suggests, I argue that the piers as they now stand offer even less right to the underprivileged.5<\/sup> Currently, they offer no access, claim, change, or ownership to the homeless or those of lower classes.6<\/sup> A seafood market, arguably pricey, and a high-end tote bag shop were noteworthy businesses currently inhabiting one pier. My proposed plan would at least extend the rights of access, change, and (temporary inhabitation) ownership for those less privileged.<\/p>\n Looking back at my previous blog post, I mentioned one noteworthy example of a pier that underwent a similar transformation in Philadelphia, Race Street Pier. Looking now to NYC, I would like to point to the success of the Hudson River Park; a public-private redevelopment of \u201cdecaying piers and parking lots\u201d that attracts \u201c17 million visitors annually\u201d and boasts attracting $3 billion in new construction in surrounding neighborhoods.6<\/sup> With these examples from larger cities as our role model, Portland should see the economic and Common Good boon currently hidden by boarded-up, trash-heaped piers.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1) “McKeen Center Mission Statement.” Mission Mission<\/em>. Bowdoin College, n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2014. <http:\/\/www.bowdoin.edu\/mckeen-center\/about\/>.<\/p>\n 2) Whyte, William H. 1980. The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces<\/em>. Washington, DC: The Conservation Foundation. https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=R6G4B9Z27yA<\/a><\/p>\n 3) Mitchell, Don. 2014 [2003]. \u201cTo Go Again to Hyde Park: Public Space, Rights, and Social Justice.\u201d In The People, Place and Space Reader<\/em>, edited by Jen Jack Gieseking, et al, 192. New York: Routledge, 2014.<\/p>\n 4)Low, Setha M. 2002. \u201cSpaces of Reflection, Recovery, and Resistance: Reimagining the Postindustrial Plaza.\u201d In After the World Trade Center: Rethinking New York City<\/em>, edited by Michael Sorkin and Sharon Zukin, 164. New York: Routledge.<\/p>\n 5) Mitchell, Don. 2014 [2003]. \u201cTo Go Again to Hyde Park: Public Space, Rights, and Social Justice.\u201d In The People, Place and Space Reader<\/em>, edited by Jen Jack Gieseking, et al, 193-194. New York: Routledge, 2014.<\/p>\n 6) “About Us | Hudson River Park.” Hudson River Park<\/em>. Hudson River Park Trust, 2014. Web. 30 Sept. 2014. <http:\/\/www.hudsonriverpark.org\/about-us>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Bowdoin’s McKeen Center for the Common Good defines the Common Good simply as something that Bowdoin citizens can use their individual “talents,\u00a0passions and academic pursuits\u2026 for the benefit of society.”\u00b9 My previous blog post argued for the revitalization of the waterfront, specifically piers. I still believe that area of Portland is one of the most … Continue reading Economic and Common Good Gain from the Development of New Public Space<\/span> <\/a>