In Western societies, immigration from rural areas to cities and living alone has become a trend over the last decades. As a natural result of this trend, many metropoles are going through a housing crisis. Although some argue that converting parks to housing areas might solve this crisis, I think this would be an inefficient solution as parks are crucial for both socialization of people from all social classes and protecting endangered biodiversity of urban settlements.
First, parks have a priceless role in providing a free place for socialization to people from all demographic groups and all socioeconomic backgrounds. While most of the urban areas are commercialized by shopping malls, cafes, bars, and restaurants, parks offer a spot where one can spend time with loved ones without having to pay. In contrast to places characterized by consumption, where customers are segregated socioeconomically, parks are accessible to everyone and bring the public together. To illustrate, thousands of people from different backgrounds gather at parks to watch national football games.
Second, parks are also invaluable for maintaining the fragile biodiversity of the rapidly developing cities. As cities grow at a never-before-seen speed, nature does not have time to find the delicate balance and most of the ecological resources are lost. Even though most of the damage to the environment caused by the cities cannot be undone, we can still limit further damage. For example, the number of seagulls in Istanbul is decreasing drastically and experts predict that the specific species observed in Istanbul might even go extinct if Channel of Istanbul project is realized.
In conclusion, exchanging park areas for residential development bears social and ecological risks that cannot be overturned. Parks’ role in providing accessible socialization places to people from all classes and creating a shelter for endangered species living around the cities have significant benefits that are impossible to overlook.