Eyes

I live a few blocks away from the 9/11 Memorial and Wall St. and although I was young when 9/11 happened it shaped the neighborhood and our whole generation. My family moved downtown in 2002 and growing up it felt like I was in a police state, always being monitored by policemen and cameras. This feeling grew the older I got and especially once I went to college and then came home during school breaks. There are many plazas and parks in Manhattan that masquerade as public spaces to congregate but are actually private spaces that are constantly monitored by security guards and police officers. Living in an environment like this as well as going to architecture school has really made me question who the city truly belongs to. Recently with Covid-19, many parks have been closed off with barriers to limit the people that could enter the space. While it is primarily for safety it feels like these public spaces are becoming more and more controlled.