Description

I'd like to kick off a discussion about the use - potential and actual - of outdoor space, in particular within housing estates.

My starting point for this discussion is the belief that, 'Children and teenagers being seen shared public space is a hallmark of a society at ease with itself'. The emphasis is on 'shared', thus including adults.

My experience is that the local outdoors is too often viewed negatively, and this informs decisions made about it at every level. My own belief - and experience - is this becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy and one needs to approach the subject on the basis of an informed optimism about what may be possible. 'Optimism' is not the same as naivety.