A vacant lot is land that is not used for a productive purpose and that usually becomes a social problem.
A vacant lot is land that is not used for a productive purpose . This adjective is also used to describe land that is not built on or that is not used for a defined objective.
For example: “Last minute! “They found a woman with her throat cut in a vacant lot,” “It cannot be that the land we inherited from our grandfather is a vacant lot: we would have to put it to some use.” “Until a month ago this corner was a vacant lot, now it is a beautiful park where they play the neighborhood children.”
Vacant lands, a social problem
Vacant land is often considered a social problem . Since they are not used, they generally remain abandoned and without any type of care . That is why in these areas garbage accumulates, weeds grow and different types of vermin live.
Vacant lands, on the other hand, are unsafe spaces . They usually lack lighting, a characteristic that makes them frequent hotspots for criminal activity. It is not uncommon for the media to report on the discovery of bodies that have been thrown into a vacant lot, or of murders, rapes or robberies that have been carried out in these spaces.
Given the conditions of the wastelands, in which the aforementioned lack of lighting predominates, one of the recommended measures for anyone is to avoid traveling through these lands whenever possible; Otherwise, if due to force majeure someone must cross a vacant lot, then they must carry at least a flashlight to scare away those criminals who prefer to act in total darkness . “Anti-rape sprays” are also ideal for these situations, although their use is not as widespread in certain countries.
The local government should be aware of the presence of vacant lots, but this should not prevent citizens from approaching the corresponding office to report any situation that they consider dangerous or harmful to themselves and their neighbors . It goes without saying that there should be no places where crime proliferates, and that all waste should be deposited in public containers so that collectors can do their job properly.
Sometimes vacant lots are used by neighbors.
The benefits of safe outdoor spaces
Outside of all the negative aspects that a vacant lot may have, given the insecurity it brings due to the potential installation of criminal gangs and the pollution problems due to the accumulation of waste, there are also some in which it is possible to enjoy a good spend time outdoors without these dangers. There are clean and safe wastelands, free of garbage and criminals, spaces of land to which no use has been assigned and which do not receive maintenance from their owners.
In a safe wasteland free of waste, peaceful gatherings of people and animals that may not have access to a natural area per se can take place. Large cities usually have several of these areas , and dog lovers treasure them as if they were desert islands that they have conquered after several months adrift in the ocean: while the animals enjoy the open space without the restrictions. that are usually found in public parks, their human parents relax and play with them with an ease that is not possible at home.
Symbolic use of the notion of wasteland
In a symbolic sense, something is mentioned as wasteland when it is infertile , futile or lacking foundation .
“The presidential candidates dedicated two hours to a useless debate that contributed nothing to society”, “I am not interested in the idle dialogue with my ex-wife, I just want her to comply with what the judge ruled.”y “Minutes after the incident, the young woman decided to end the idle conversation with the officer and left for her home.”son expresiones que muestran este uso.