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Thursday, 20 September 2007 |
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Page 3 of 21
Too Many (non-skateboarding) Visitors
Skateboard culture and fashion are cool. Skateboarding’s always been just outside of the mainstream enough to be cutting-edge. Skateboarders themselves are daredevils—brave and confident. Together, these traits depict an alluring community for non-skaters to explore. As a result, skateparks can attract a number of kids who are there only to hang out with their friends or be around other kids their age, and not to skate. As more youth inhabit the area, especially with no adults present, the situation can sometimes go awry. Hooligans from the area might see that the skatepark is the place where “anything goes.”
While skateparks will (and should) attract all kinds of people from the community, care should be taken that the facility doesn't exclusively become a teen hangout.
As with the previous concern, the best way to mitigate undesirable visitors from hanging out at the skatepark and causing problems is through prevention via the skatepark design and site. Experienced skateboarders are often older, sometimes even middle-aged adults, and if the skatepark can attract this type of user, you will find that many of your juvenile visitors will be inclined to cause trouble elsewhere. Though older skaters don’t ride any particular type of terrain, and there is no perfect formula for attracting this valuable type of user, the best skateparks in the world are beloved by skaters of all ages and experience levels. The designers and builders behind these successful parks are not hard to find.
Locating skateparks in plain view of the greater community produces many discouragements to deviant or unwanted behavior. As most metropolitan areas understand that healthy activities displace unwanted visitors, skateparks can also benefit a great deal from this simple principle. A skatepark will stand a much greater chance of being a healthy and positive environment if it’s integrated with the general public instead of relegated to a place where it will be “out of sight, out of mind.”
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 10 February 2008 )
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