North Charleston's Vivian Anderson Moultrie Park is a small, simple place for children to spend time outdoors. It has a slide, swings and monkey bars. Sometimes the place is abandoned. Sometimes a small girl and her father cast shadows on the ground. But always there is the hum of traffic, the elevated concrete curl of I-26, and potential.

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A park is a fine idea. Cities need them. When children use them, they are important public resources. When people gather in them after the sun goes down, well, then they become another thing all together.

This park, located near I-26 and Mount Pleasant street, is a prime example of how a park can play two roles. The Post and Courier visited and spoke with an enthusiastic patron. The story points out why these places can be dangerous, but reminds us why they are an essential part of urban life.

Here's a sample:

The small playground, named after longtime North Central resident Vivian Anderson Moultrie, is an unlikely addition to the city's portfolio of parks. Surrounded by concrete, stuck in the perpetual shadow of Interstate 26 and just yards from a Mount Pleasant Street gas station, the park seems an odd place for children to frolic.

On this afternoon, young Patricia played alone while her daddy fixed a relative's car nearby. More often, neighbors say, the park sits empty altogether, without a kid in sight.

"The only time I ever see anyone in there is when the city parks people come to clean it up," said Tameka Williams, who works at the neighboring gas station.

Read the entire article here.