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Not wrong to charge people for using public facilities

Gu Jun, professor in the Department of Sociology and Political Science, Shanghai University

The absence of rules, not the lack of public spaces, is the cause of the competition for playgrounds and "dancing floors". The local authorities are trying to find a solution to this problem, but simply making available more open space for such activities won't work until the young and the old both start following the rules.

In Shanghai, for example, some social organizations are providing such public services, in order to ensure that square dancing does not affect normal community life.

If some groups or individuals continue violating the rules, regulators should impose higher fines on them until they fall in line. Also, it's not wrong to make residents pay for using playgrounds and parks, especially if such sites attract conflicting parties that could lead to arguments, even violence, to maintain public order.

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