Veronica Ramirez
Professor Jennifer Hurley
CITY 185: Urban Culture and Society
October 1, 2020
Assignment 1.3 PUTTING A MAP IN CONTEXT
South Gate Park is located in a residential area that is surrounded by houses and schools. The streets surrounding South Gate Park is Southern Avenue, Tweedy Boulevard, Hildreth Avenue, and Pinehurst Avenue. Both Southern Avenue and Tweedy Boulevard approximately are three miles. A lot of cars pass by these two streets on a daily basis which means more people are aware of what’s going on in the Park due to a big sign always showing different upcoming events in the park. If you were to drive by Tweedy Boulevard, one landmark you will see is the Veterans Memorial Fountain. Lynch explains how a node is where people gather. If a person needs to meet a person at the park they would usually say to meet at the fountain because it’s a popular place in terms that there is only one fountain in the whole park.
Jane Jacobs explains how people that contribute to the community make the place welcoming, so people don’t feel intimidated. Events like firework shows, the Halloween festival, movie nights, Pageant of the Tress, carnivals, and so much more go on year-long that brings in children, teenagers, parents, and elders. That’s why I believe Los Angeles County provided the people in the Southeast region of Los Angeles a COVID-19 testing site at the park. It was in an effort to expand access to “high-need areas.” According to the Los Angeles Times, “Southeast Los Angeles County has become the epicenter for the resurgence of the coronavirus, according to a Times analysis of county health data that found infections skyrocketing in its mostly working-class Latino communities.” The City of South Gate offers free transportation to the South Gate Park COVID-19 Testing Center. Since the City of South Gate is very spaced out and public transportation is not at its best providing free transportation through taxi/uber is the perfect way to encourage the people to be tested. Walking from my house in South Gate to South Gate Park would take about an hour. The distance in miles is 2.81. For example, in New York, the citizens can walk to places easily because the buildings are very close together and public transportation is better compared to Los Angeles. The testing center is specifically in the auditorium which is one of the public spaces still open for citizens during COVID.
The schools nearby contribute to who goes to South Gate Park every day. During the regular school time, students would go to the park after school to play soccer at the Goal’s Center, practice for a sport like Cross Country, or simply relax at the park. The schools nearby definitely take this park to their advantage. For example, on Earth Day the teachers would organize cleanup at the park and near the riverbed since both of those places are within walking distance. It would take about approximately 8 minutes to walk From Legacy High School to the park. Due to an increasing number of teenagers at the park, there has been a gender division seen taken place. During the night, C.S.O’s (Community Service Officers) pay more attention to the women playing in the fields to make sure they are safe. However, women feel uncomfortable when that happens because they would rather not be bothered. While on the other hand, the C.S.O’s don’t pay much attention to the men playing in the fields. This has created a social norm within the community of South Gate Park. It creates an element of power in these divisions. It signifies who has the freedom to come and go as they please without someone constantly watching over them.
Map 1.3
Map 1.2
