Privatization of Public Space

Privatization and publicizing in Public Space The fight to take everywhere the world has begun. This fight is between bear-sized corporate companies and their race to take oer the most public space and plaster it with their advertisements or provided simply control it. In this paper I will examine a variety of opinions on how they spend a penny invaded public space and if this invasion is benefiting the public or not. In some cases when big companies get under ones skin take over in a public location it can be positive.Shea Stadium, although it was not on the nose public, was greatly improved when Citi theme bought it and rebuilt the parking lot. It improved the viewing experience at the Mets games and Citigroup gets publicity beca role wad associate the park with them. Many people say that this sort of privatization by a big company can have numerous positive effects for people who use the space. Bostons sec Station has alike been privatized in recent years. The MBTA ent ered into a ground lease with Beacon S come to the foreh Station Associates, a totally takeed entity of Beacon Properties Corporation, on January 28, 1988.The MBTA notwithstanding uses the station for the trains and buses but the company that leases it can set its own rules for in spite of appearance the space and has the right to grass advertising space within the station. Although commuters can still use the space for travel purposes the space is no longer public. During Occupy Boston the protesters peacefully assembled in South Station when the weather became colder but were asked to leave by police because in that respect were not allowed to congregate there per rules of the company leasing the space.According so Una Spencer, an activist and protester during the occupy movement, everywhere we argon encountering public spaces which we be told argon under control of private companies. She also mentions thats our evaluatees are being used to police these areas that are owne d by private companies. Spenser is seeing is a chipping away of our civil rights from many another(prenominal) directions and our levy dollars are paying the police who keep us from practicing these rights.David Morris, co-founder and vice president of Institute for Local Self-Reliance, brings onwards the idea that companies should compete on an equal footing, and where those with the most money do not necessarily chat in the loudest voice. Sometimes companies with the most money are able to get their name out more(prenominal) that a smaller company through advertising. By having ads plastered around a city, a consumer is more likely to choose that companys product than a smaller company. He believes that by seeing ads for specific companies stifles our ability to choose freely between different things.Morris believes in having public spaces where people within a community can congregate that is free of commercialism where people can share ideas. In Sao Paulo, Brazil people are in agreement with ideas similar to Morriss and laws are being set up into taper to remove advertising. Larry Rohter, American journalist, covered the decision in Sao Paulo, Brazil to remove all advertising from the city. Sao Paulo is South Americas largest and most prosperous city and there has been much controversy over the law.Rohter quotes Brazilian columnist Roberto Pompeu de Toledo saying the law is a rare victory of the public interest over private, of order over disorder, aesthetics over ugliness, of cleanliness over trash. One controversy over this law is that people who work for companies creating advertising may lose jobs. Big companies whos advertisements will be taken exhaust are claiming consumers will be less informed in their purchasing decisions and even that streets will be less safe at night with the loss of illumination from signs. Not only would the law prohibition era billboards, but it would also ban ads on buses, blimps, and plains, and restrict the s ize of signs that stores would be allowed to have. Rohter reported one women in Sao Paulo saying the truth is that there are so many banners, billboards, placards, signs, and posters all over the place that theyve at sea their impact. The mayor or Sao Paulo talks about bringing advertising back in the future, but with many restrictions and limitations. The city will become an outdoor metropolis with no outdoor advertising. The Internet is another place that has become a common ground for advertising. Facebook used to be a free online community created by a group of college kids. Initially Facebook was supposed to be free of advertisements and that set it apart from other affable networking sites. Now, not only does Facebook have advertisements, the advertisements are tailor made to each user based on that persons likes and activities posted on their profile. On my Facebook is see ads for snowboard websites because I have the posted as one of my activities.Facebook says it needs t o have ads because it keeps Facebook free for users. They say its also beneficial for advertisers because the right group of people will see their ads. The Internet is just another place where companies are fighting to lot to more customers. Along with the Internet, companies also have influence in restaurants, a place where we may not have even suspected it. Have you ever been to a restaurant and when you ordered a degree Celsius and the waitress asks, is Pepsi ok? This is because restaurants have deals with soda companies and they receive additional benefits when they decide to be exclusive. By having restaurants that are exclusive the soda company theoretically has won that restaurant over and all the customers in that restaurant. Its like a war to see which soda companies can have the most restaurants exclusively sell their soda. After careful consideration of all these opinions I cannot say I have come to a final conclusion on advertising in public space. I can see how in so me cases advertising and privatization have gone overboard.Losing our ability to congregate in South Station seems a little absurd to me because our tax dollars are paying to enforce laws that are keeping us out of a once public space. However, what would a place like Time Square in cutting York City be without its huge glowing billboards and signs? And in Sao Paulo they are outlawing blimps as a part of the anti-billboard law, and I think of Bostons Hood blimp that I can see on the apparent horizon from my dorm room window. Is it really such an obstruction to public space? I dont think so. And it also doesnt affect what milk I choose to drink because I still am not a big fan of hood milk.In my opinion the best solution would be to haves stricter laws about advertising and privatization. I think Time Square would lose all its magic if the ads were to be taken off the buildings but in places like schools advertising should really be obsolete. As for privatization, I think if a publi c space is going to be privatized then public dollars should not be used in that space in any way. In South Station the Transit guard should not be enforcing rules put in place by a private organization when it is tax dollars paying the transit police, not the company.I think its a pretty fine line and it is the tariff of government officials to get the balance between public space, advertising, and privatization right. Bibliography Advertising on Facebook. Facebook. 2 Oct 2012. https//www. facebook. com/about/ads/ Morris, David. curb the Commercialization of Public Space. Institute for Local Self-Reliance. 15 Jan 2009. 2 Oct 2012. http//www. ilsr. org/curbing-commercialization-public-space/ Rohter, Larry. Streets are Paved with Neons Glare, and City Calls a Halt. New York Times. 2 Dec 2006. 2 Oct 2012. //www. nytimes. com/2006/12/12/world/Americas/12paulo. hypertext markup language? pagewanted=print&_r=0 Spenser, Una. Occupy Boston the Privatizing of Public Spaces. Daily Kos . 30 Oct 2011. 2 Oct 2012. http//www. dailykos. com/story/2011/10/30/1031512/-Occupy-Boston-the-privatizing-of-public-spaces Why Arent Coke and Pepsi Sold Together at Restaurants? Xatal. 12 Mar 2009. 2 Oct 2012. http//xatal. com/miscellaneous/why-arent-coke-and-pepsi-sold-together-at-restaurants/ 1 .Una Spenser. Occupy Boston the Privatizing of Public Spaces. Daily Kos. 30 Oct 2011. 2 Oct 2012. http//www. dailykos. com/story/2011/10/30/1031512/-Occupy-Boston-the-privatizing-of-public-spaces 2 . Una Spenser. Occupy Boston the Privatizing of Public Spaces. Daily Kos. 30 Oct 2011. 2 Oct 2012. http//www. dailykos. com/story/2011/10/30/1031512/-Occupy-Boston-the-privatizing-of-public-spaces 3 . Ibid 4 . David Morris. Curbing the Commercialization of Public Space. Institute for Local Self-Reliance. 15 Jan 2009. 2 Oct 2012.