When Stanley Park first opened, it was the largest, most heavily used public park in town. It is still the largest park, but it is no longer heavily used. Video cameras mounted in the park's parking lots last month revealed the park's drop in popularity:

When Stanley Park first opened, it was the largest, most heavily used public park in town. It is still the largest park, but it is no longer heavily used. Video cameras mounted in the park's parking lots last month revealed the park's drop in popularity: the recordings showed an average of only 50 cars per day. In contrast, tiny Carlton Park in the heart of the business district is visited by more than 150 people on a typical weekday. An obvious difference is that Carlton Park, unlike Stanley Park, provides ample seating. Thus, if Stanley Park is ever to be as popular with our citizens as Carlton Park, the town will obviously need to provide more benches, thereby converting some of the unused open areas into spaces suitable for socializing.

Write a response in which you examine the stated and/or unstated assumptions of the argument. Be sure to explain how the argument depends on these assumptions and what the implications are for the argument if the assumptions prove unwarranted.

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50 cars per day does not indicate a drop in popularity
- some people might walk or skateboard to the park
- some people might park outside, or at a nearby parking lot

Ample benches is not necessarily what caused Carlton Park to be popular
- Maybe it is because its location, which is in the heart of the business district
- Maybe it has more social activities

Even if providing benches does help increase popularity of park, adding more benches does not necessarily convert some of the unused open areas into spaces suitable for socializing
- People do not necessarily use benches to socialize, they might simply rest
- Since it is a large park, it could be potentially difficult to find another person sitting close with you