Part 1, Chapter 4, The Uses of Sidewalks: Assimilating Children Summary and Analysis

The thought is always to get the children off of the streets and into playgrounds or other areas. Every time there are problems on the streets, the movement is for more parks and playgrounds. This is in spite of the fact that the biggest gang problems are in the projects with their park mall-like settings. There are fewer people watching in these areas than on the streets. The author confirms this fact by walking around her own neighborhood in New York. The children are safer playing on the streets and sidewalks where the adults are than they are in the deserted playground areas. Parents in many areas seem to feel the same way. Children use playgrounds for the first four or five years of their lives. After...