children playing tag on a small plot of land between houses
Mr. Peters reading on a bench on a busy street
Mrs. Yang tending her tiny garden
These are the three events that led Samara to realize that Pine Grove was in need of a park. The passage opens with Samara walking through her neighborhood and seeing the children playing tag, Mr. Peters reading his newspaper, and Mrs. Yang in her garden. These are all activities one would do in a park if the neighborhood had one.