Band 6+: Task 2: In some cities, public parks and open spaces are being changed into gardens where local residents can grow their own vegetables and fruit. Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?

In some cities now, there is a tendency that parks along with open spaces are converted into green areas where local people can plant their own fruit and vegetables. In my opinion, the drawbacks of the shift towards green spaces outweigh the advantages.

Admittedly, the advantages of this transformation are evident. First of all, it offers city dwellers convenience because the residents can get sources of vegetables and fruit quickly from their personal lands instead of buying it outside. Moreover, if the main purpose of those gardens is to serve their family’s needs, they are likely to limit chemical substances to stimulate plants’ growth. And this limitation will cause less health risks for themselves, resulting in a healthy body. By reducing the time to go to markets, the residents can also save their daily expenses for buying those foods, which enable them to allocate more money on other demands.

However, there are valid concerns about the negative consequences of converting public parks into gardens. One major concern is the loss of places providing citizens with necessary infrastructure that support them with physical activities. Some facilities, such as swings and exercise bikes are used effortlessly by both seniors and children because of its simple structures. There are also a variety of workout lessons which can be performed by using such equipment. Therefore, this conversion will lead to the decline of vacancies where citizens can opt for reasonable services to improve their physical strengths. Similarly, some negative effects can be found on replacing open vacancies by gardens. It can be used as a location to hold many public activities, like: a small-scale concerts and sports field. Some amateur artists, who do not have opportunities in official stages can utilize this space to showcase their talents, and children can also play their favorite sports with friends without any concerns about harming the home appliances of neighbors. As such, this replacement will lead to the decrease in the sports and recreational locations.

In conclusion, I believe that the disadvantages of replacing open spaces and public parks by gardens outstrip the advantages. Instead of using public space for agriculture purposes, the city dwellers can plant fruit and vegetables in the available rooms in their houses.