Skateboarding Is Good for Cities, But Some Cities Don't Realize It

Jonathan Rogers makes the case for skateboarding as a benefit to cities:

People of all backgrounds, ethnicities, and incomes skateboard in DC, especially young people. That’s a good thing: studies show skating is an effective youth development strategy that lowers crime [pdf], fosters creativity, and reduces childhood obesity. Skating is good for cities too. The presence of skaters adds life and interest to ill- or underused public spaces.

The problem for Rogers is that Washington, D.C. doesn't acknowledge those benefits, with a skate ban in much if the city, a lack of private skate parks, and relatively few public skate parks compared to other cities. "The criminalization of skateboarding in cities is both a social justice issue and an urban planning faux pas," writes Rogers, calling on Jane Jacobs and a case study from Philadelphia to make the argument.