"Ecology of Fear"

Mike Davis wrote about "Ecology of Fear". Davis said hes sees the city based upon fear. To him cities are still seen as zones of danger with a lot of illegal things happening in them. Things such as drug-dealing, rapes, and murders are most likely to happen in a city. Davis' ideas followed Jane Jacobs, so this time was around the 1980's. His idea was to somehow contain the danger and damage in a city. Most of the danger came from immigrants, minorities, lower class people, but especially the homeless.
Mike Davis' subject of study was the fortress city Los Angeles. Davis wanted to recognize the hard and soft boundaries that had to be placed when and where, also having to do with social boundaries within the built environment. For example, he felt that instead of having flat bench's on the corners and bus stops, to have something a lot more uncomfortable so that people won't always be trying to hang around the area. He wanted to use a method of exercises of social difference and power. Mixing of social classes at many public parks he felt would relieve many tensions throughout the city.
Hard boundaries were used to keep certain people out of places were such physical things as big solid fences maybe with some barbed wire on the top. An example of a soft boundary would be just a sign saying no entrance or keep off grass. It would be something where you physically could go and do but if an authority figure saw you, you would be kicked out. So overall a hard boundary would be a tougher boundary to overcome, but for entering either boundary counsequences would be the same.
Davis' overall point was that fear proves itself, and that it is not based upon crime. To read more about Mike Davis' "Ecology of Fear" and Los Angeles click on the following link...http://misonou.livejournal.com/530886.html