Bryant Park as a Site of Production: Revenue and Social Control

• Main Author: Emily Kaufman
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oñati International Institute for the Sociology of Law 2015-12-01
• Series: Oñati Socio-Legal Series
• Subjects: Urban planning; public space; privatization; parks; governance; production; marxism; social control; criminology; public-private partnerships; Planificación urbanística; espacio public; privatización; parques; gobernanza; producción; marxismo; control soc
• Online Access: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2655507

<p>Bryant Park is New York City's only 100% privately funded and managed 'public' park, making it an oft looked-to model of public-private partnerships. This paper examines the everyday workings of the park using ethnographic and archival data, and criminological and urban theory. These details help us understand how Bryant produces a theme-park-like social order in its built environment, landscaping, management, and programming of the park. I suggest that social control functions through five governing principles: visibility, classification, predictability, vulnerability, and empowerment. Everything is neatly classified, from people to activities to trash. Vulnerable design elements like flowers are chosen to suggest the park is cared for. Park-goers are meant to feel not controlled, but in-control; safe, comfortable, and empowered.</p><p>This elaborate manipulation of semiotics and space serves to produce surplus value for multiple corporate interests involved in and around the park. I argue that the park operates as a site of production of revenue for these corporate interests. I explain how the park is created and marketed as a product itself, which park-goers have an unwitting share in producing. Thus New York&rsquo;s elite-business community benefits from this nominally public park.</p> <hr /><p>Bryant Park es el &uacute;nico parque &ldquo;p&uacute;blico&rdquo; de la ciudad de Nueva York de financiaci&oacute;n y gesti&oacute;n 100% privada, lo que lo convierte a menudo en un ejemplo de partenariados p&uacute;blico-privados. Este art&iacute;culo analiza el funcionamiento cotidiano del parque, utilizando datos etnogr&aacute;ficos y de archivo, as&iacute; como teor&iacute;a criminol&oacute;gica y urbana. Estos detalles nos ayudan a comprender c&oacute;mo Bryant produce un orden social dentro del parque en el entorno creado, paisajismo, gesti&oacute;n y programaci&oacute;n del parque. Se sugiere que el control social funciona a trav&eacute;s de cinco principios de gobierno: visibilidad, clasificaci&oacute;n, predicci&oacute;n, vulnerabilidad y empoderamiento. Todo est&aacute; cuidadosamente clasificado, tanto las personas como las actividades o los cubos de basura. Se eligen elementos de dise&ntilde;o vulnerables, como flores, para sugerir que se cuida el parque. Se pretende que los visitantes del parque no se sientan controlados, pero bajo control; seguros, c&oacute;modos y con poder.</p><p>Esta elaborada manipulaci&oacute;n de semi&oacute;tica y espacio sirve para producir un valor a&ntilde;adido para numerosos intereses corporativos que est&aacute;n involucrados en el parque. Se defiende que el parque funciona como un lugar de producci&oacute;n de ingresos para esos intereses empresariales. Se explica de qu&eacute; forma se crea y comercializa el parque como un producto en s&iacute; mismo, en el que los visitantes del parque participan de forma involuntaria. De esta forma, la comunidad de negocios de &eacute;lite de Nueva York se beneficia de este parque &ldquo;p&uacute;blico&rdquo;, &uacute;nicamente en su nombre.</p> <p><strong>DOWNLOAD THIS PAPER FROM SSRN</strong>: <a href="http://ssrn.com/abstract=2655507" target="_blank">http://ssrn.com/abstract=2655507</a></p>