A Park for Everyone, Built by Everyone

I found the reading, Margaret Crawford's Everyday Urbanism very relatable and it made me think "Aren't we already thinking/designing in this way?" She advocates for user-centered approaches and challenges architects to view cities through a more holistic and people-centric lens which I thought was just common sense for architects? The personal example that I gathered from this reading, not necessarily related to architecture but more urbanism, was my own interactions with urban spaces. For example, Dorothea Dix Park in Raleigh, NC; is A Park for Everyone, Built by Everyone. This is a beautiful park and quite a large park in the middle of the big city and a place that I would visit often. Rather than viewing it as solely a designated green space, Everyday Urbanism prompted me to think back on my observations there and really appreciate all the ways the park is used daily. In one quick visit to the park, you could see families celebrating or having a picnic, office workers enjoying lunch or taking a walk around, people playing frisbee or catch with their dogs, friends having lunch, or individuals reading a book, yoga classes, runners or artists. I imagine any park you visit would have a similar feel and variety of activities taking place but Dorothea Dix is my favorite and it came to mind while reading this.