Nowadays, commuting to work has been increasingly a major concern among employees these days. It is generally believed that the most effective measure for the reduction of spending time on traveling to work is to replace parks and gardens in the vicinity of central urban areas with apartment buildings for working travelers. I will discuss both opinions, then give my perspective in this essay.
On the one hand, the replacement of public areas including parks and gardens to make room for apartment buildings can have significant benefits to commuters. Undoubtedly, the establishment of more household areas in the city center can shorten the working distance. This can save people’s time and effort when attending work on a regular basis. For instance, people living in suburban areas can change their living locations to urban areas if more apartment buildings can be constructed. As a result, the shorter traveling distance to work can have a favorable impact on people’s working performance and their well-being. Hence, people consider erecting new living buildings as the replacement of nearby public areas the most ideal way to reduce traveling time among working people.
On the other hand, demolishing parks and gardens near urban areas can have severe repercussions for the aesthetic value and the population of cities. The beauty of cities can be seriously damaged if there are no natural landscapes in public areas. This can evoke a sense of discomfort for residents due to a lack of visual appeals, which can negatively affect their daily mood and jeopardize their emotional well-being. Moreover, lacking green space in cities can exert a detrimental effect on the environment. If there were no trees and flowers in public areas, people would suffer serious health-related issues due to the increase of air contamination. In the long run, this can degrade their living standard and their longevity because they have to live in a polluted environment.
In conclusion, while demolishing public constructions such as parks and gardens close to the may be highly beneficial to commuters, this can have serious drawbacks that are relevant with aesthetic value and the environment of urban areas. From my perspective, people should not destroy green space near the cities to make room for more accommodations since the unfavorable consequences of this can outweigh the benefit of saving traveling time for working people.