An interesting thing happened in Silver Spring, MD. A few years back the downtown revitalization that I remember people talking about for Silver Spring when I was in high school (you know, just a little while ago) started to actually happen. Part of all the construction was to include a civic center. But since the civic center had to wait for stuff (money, zoning, the whole rest of the area to not also be in construction) they put down this fake grass stuff. Now, those not in the know, just knew there was fake grass. And it was kind of funny - in a could they not afford real grass kind of way. But it was a nice expanse of fake grass, with a bench or two. And people, especially in nice weather, started to hang out there. Come down for the shopping or the eating or the movie-ing and then sit out on the fake lawn. People picnicked, they tossed around balls, they sunned, they read, they chatted.
So, as Marc Fisher pointed out over a year ago community was already enjoying the space. And so folks started to wonder, did we really want to spend all that money to close down the space in the hopes that it would later reopen as something for the community when it kind of already was?
Well the lawn's got a little while longer while they put together the construction bids, so enjoy it while you can.
Thanks to DCist for the link.
Rants About New (and old) Things
