As I was going through the reading and the lectures for this section the one that I found the most connection to and the most connection to what my blog is about is, The Future of Public Space by Tridib Banerjee.  The most engaging part of the article was the idea of “engag[ing] in advocacy for parks and open spaces”(Banerjee).  This is referring to the need for people to step up in the community and say that a park or open space has value and helps improve the quality of life in the neighborhood.  This can be done by peacefully protesting the construction of a building or opening up negotiations for how to keep the park or open space while bring the building onto the site, so that the two can work harmoniously.  This can only be done by engaging in your own personal community and trying to understand what can be done to build a better space for you to thrive.  I have seen this in my own community.  While I was growing up there were three green spaces where I could go and run and just enjoy myself and that improved my overall experience of childhood.  As I grew up those spaces always held something special to me and I always felt that I understood how important green spaces and parks were to have in a community.  When I finally had the chance to go to different cities and go to Europe I learned more about the importance of parks and public spaces.  When I went to Chicago a month ago I felt that if the park system by the lake were not there the city would fail because the people there would have no escape from the steel and brick of the city.  The only way that this was able to happen was because one man decided that the parks were needed to help in the growth and prosperity of the city.  If one man was able to do that it makes it possible to believe that I as one architect can make changes to how green space can be incorporated into very dense populated areas and make them highly trafficked.  When I went to Europe many of the public spaces were not heavily populated with vegetation, but they worked in the same way that many other green spaces that I had encountered in the United States worked.  These spaces have been around for a long time and have worked because the original idea for that plaza or public space has not lost force or significance with the passage of time.  The people in these cities find having a place to come, meet, and gather to be important to the way they live their lives.  Having gone to the places I have personally seen the gathering that happens so naturally in these plazas that have been around for thousands of years.  Living in a city or community means more than just going to and from work and home and living with our imitate surrounds; it means involving yourself with the aspects that build your community up and makes it more sustainable.