Comments on Sold Out

They'll probably rebuild it, but it won't be accessible to the public ...

Skating isn't perceived by some as "family" oriented so the Seattle Center people don't know what to do.

Lose the funforest, build a skate park.

Actually, they built (and have rebuilt) the first public skatepark in Seattle. They have tried to be good to skaters in the past, but largely due to the fact that they wanted to get skaters off the main campus.

What they "know" is that the old park attracted graffiti, "bad" behavior (smoking, swearing), and the occasional fight. They don't want this stuff on the main campus.

What they don't seem to know despite repeated explanations by skate advocates, is that if the park is well integrated into a vibrant space on the campus, with good visibility, no fence, something for adult skaters to skate, and lots of room for spectators...most if not all of the anti-social behavior will disappear.

If you locate a skaetpark across the street in a parking lot nether region, cage it in with a giant fence, and make it nearly impossible for adults to stop and enjoy watching the activities, you are designing failure into the skate park.

In fact, no matter what you build under those conditions will attract problems.