Agora

Give me some space. Give me just some space where I can spend my Saturday afternoons, a retreat from the sterile, air-conditioned corridors of those shopping malls. Give me just some space where I can enjoy a picnic with my friends. Give me just some space where I can be sheltered from the scorching sun. Give me just some space with trees, green grass, benches and pebbles, to watch others play softball or throw a frisbee. Give me just some space with well-lit pathways and snaking lanes which lead nowhere, just to explore in the evening breeze. Give me just some space with a canopy, so that bikers can enjoy the shade once in a while. Give me just some space so that I can look up at the clear blue sky, lounging as time goes by. Give me just some space so that I can feel that I live in a place.

We don't. What's the number one thing you wished would change in the place you live in? I'm not talking about a trip to IKEA for your personal living space. It's something bigger. Beyond your drive way, your porch. Your immediate surroundings or even the township that you're in. When was the last time we paused and reflected on the state its in? Are there clogged drains, litter, stray animals, broken lights, mosquito infestation, rats, roaches, cracked sidewalks, potholes, unused empty spaces, overgrowth, weeds? Just to name a few. Maybe you think it'll be nice to finally add more park benches for people to sit in. Or maybe, to have a park to start with. "Livability" as a concept is not widely discussed on its on, but implied: whether the place has a high quality of living, infrastructure, public transportation, education, amenities, suitable climate, access to jobs. All of these decide whether a place is "livable" or not. B