SPUR's dubious claim that park design is racist
David Pandori, ex-District 3 councilmember (1990-98), was a driving force behind the creation of the Guadalupe River Park. He expresses surprise and consternation at a recent report, written by SPUR (a nonprofit urban planning group that often works with the city of SJ), which claims that the park's design is--get this--racist and sexist. Pandori's letter to SPUR is below.
I visited SPUR's virtual exhibition on Guadalupe River Park (See here). While I disagree with SPUR's contention that Guadalupe River Park should continue to function as a homeless encampment, I read this assertion in SPUR’s exhibition on the park:
"A majority of the public spaces in American cities were designed by generations of predominantly white male professionals. These designers worked from their personal experiences and assumptions, and often created spaces that prioritized one type of user: a white able-bodied man."
"Over time, the rules and norms that developed within these spaces further prioritized and accommodated this white male user at the expense of others."
We could and should debate whether this premise is in fact true. New York City's Central Park, San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, San Diego's Balboa Park, and San Antonio's Riverwalk are wonderful examples of how parks bring people together. But SPUR has decided otherwise and has raised the assertion of bias in its exhibition on Guadalupe River Park. So, I need to ask:
Is SPUR suggesting that current Guadalupe River Park and its current plans fall into this so-called majority of American public spaces?
Did SPUR come across any current elements of the park or plans for Guadalupe River Park that demonstrate the claimed bias? If so, what did SPUR find?
My experience is that Guadalupe River Park is an inclusive and open park for all people. The paths and walkways are accessible to all, not designed for any particular group or only the able-bodied. The Rotary Playground provides an inclusive place to play for all children and their families, with a focus on children with special needs. The Guadalupe River Park Conservancy offers educational programming for our valley's diverse population. There's public art recognizing San Jose's sister cities. There's public art honoring our diverse Ice-Skating Champions. The "Pool of Genes" recognizes the names reflecting our valley's diverse population. There's the beautiful art walk recognizing the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe. The Art Walk also includes wonderful murals celebrating the variety of wildlife in the park. The park's foundational neighbors -- the Children's Discovery Museum, Center for the Performing Arts, the San Jose Arena (and the Conservancy office!) -- bring people together from all walks of life.
Your exhibition fails to recognize any of this -- any of these wonderful, diverse aspects of the park. Instead, the exhibition raises and dwells on the specter of exclusion. I would encourage you to expand the exhibition to recognize the diverse elements of Guadalupe River Park because they serve as inspiration for the future plans for this aspiring park.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Respectfully,
David Pandori
Friend of Guadalupe River Park
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Image by Randy Vazquez