way2go! 7. Coursebook, Schulbuch

162 SEMESTER CHECK Read the text about small parks on the side of streets. Complete the sentences (1–9) using a maximum of four words. Write your answers in the spaces provided. The first one (0) has been done for you. READING 1 !! LESEN B2 Ich kann die Hauptaussagen von inhaltlich und sprachlich komplexen Texten, auch literarischen, zu konkreten und abstrakten Themen verstehen. Semester check 02 The power of parklets The concept of the parklet – the conversion of a couple of curbside parking spots or other underused public spaces into a tiny park, complete with greenery and seating – got its start in San Francisco about 10 years ago. Since then, the idea has decidedly spread, in part through temporary ‘Park(ing) Day’ events, but also through more permanent efforts that have sprung up across the country, everywhere from Seattle to New York, Los Angeles to Minneapolis, even suburban New Jersey. These urban innovations are not without their detractors or problems. One parklet, in San Francisco’s Castro District, has proven to be a center of controversy thanks to nuisance activities (booze) and a small handful of unusual users (nudists). Another, in Boston, was eliminated because of a disagreement between two neighboring business owners: one liked the parklet, the other wanted the parking places given back to cars. But these are the outliers. In general, parklets have been well-received in communities all over the US. But what exactly does a parklet achieve? For instance, how many people really use them? The folks at University City District, a non-profit neighborhood development organization in Philadelphia, wanted to find out. UCD worked with the city to install Philadelphia’s first parklets in 2011, and currently operates several each season in partnership with local businesses. Now the group has released a report that analyzes detailed observations of six Philadelphia parklets during the 2013 season. UCD hopes to use the data to increase the positive impact such projects have on the community. “We heard a lot of anecdotal reports about the parklets,” says Seth Budick, policy and research manager at UCD. “One business owner said sales were up so much he had to hire new workers. What better economic development could you hope for than that?” Anecdotes, however, weren’t enough. Budick says the report aims to nail down a more sophisticated understanding of what works and what doesn’t in the realm of parklets. And while studies in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago have looked at parklets in central business districts, this is one of the first serious efforts to examine them in a neighborhood setting. Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv