TED Talk: Amanda Burden, Cities, Public Spaces

Everything Amanda says in on point.

Start watching at 14:10

The New York High-line: an elevated railway running through 3 Manhattan neighborhoods that once carried trains but has been converted into a green public space.

"You know, it's true, commercial interests will always battle against public space. You might say, "How wonderful it is that more than four million people come from all over the world to visit the High Line." Well, a developer sees just one thing: customers. Hey, why not take out those plantings and have shops all along the High Line? Wouldn't that be terrific and won't it mean a lot more money for the city? Well no, it would not be terrific. It would be a mall, and not a park. (Applause) And you know what, it might mean more money for the city, but a city has to take the long view, the view for the common good." 

I love and firmly stand behind the general idea that an investment in public spaces for people and greenery should be valued over commercial or economic interests. When you make an investment in public spaces that positively contribute to peoples' health and well-being, you are making a higher impact and longer-term investment in that place as a whole. SOCIAL CAPITAL.