Use of public spaces

I'm sitting in my 'office' watching the birds at the feeder in back yard. It fascinates me to see how they share the public space and resource of the bird feeder. Each bird species seems to have their own specified time to visit the feeder. When the native parrots arive (lorikeets and rosellas), all the introduced birds fly off, so they must recognise a hierarchy. One way or another, they all get their share of the bird seed.

It makes me think of the way we share public spaces in the urban environment. One of the key issues we have is that many people do not actually like to share public spaces with 'conflicting' groups. Young adults get the worst rap for this, in that they are unwanted in shared spaces by many. It's a real shame the way young people are treated as a 'problem' in Australian urban life, a group that needs to be controlled or moved on.

Frankston City Council has had a successful program of playing dodgy music at the Frankston Railway Station precinct to discourage young people from hanging around. I believe they started with classical music and then moved on to easy listening and country. Some retailers have started using loudspeakers that actually emit a high-pitched whine which is generally inaudible to adults but really irritating to younger people, with the aim of stopping them hanging around the public areas near their shops. I find this type of behaviour unbelievably offensive.

I wonder if any of these public space maangers have ever asked the question, "Why are they hanging around the station, and where will they go if they can't hang out there?". Truth is, train station precincts are a safe place for young people to be, with informal adult supervision and good lighting. If young people (mostly teenage boys) are forced out of this kind of precinct, they are going to end up in places which are much less safe. It's worth noting that young people are far more likely to be victims of crime in public spaces than older people. So shouldn't a key aim of managing public spaces be to provide youths with safe places to socialise?

In an ideal world we would be developing civic spaces where people from all age groups felt safe to socialise together. Many of the European piazzas are like that. Older people hang around all the time, at cafes and in park areas, and younger people are able to meet and socialise in safety.

It's a real shame that older people in Australia seem to insist on treating youths as a problem, rather than as a social group with a problem. All you hear about this group in the media is the drunken binging and wild parties, yet I have met some truly amazing young people who will contribute wonderful things to society as they mature, if only they are encouraged to believe that society wants their contribution.