People Friendly Public Seating: Evolution of the Park Bench

Evolution of the park bench

TAKE A SEAT?

Several factors will likely affect your decision.

Similar to other animals in the wild,

humans like to survey their habitat…

…to see if there’s a potential predator nearby.

We want a safe place to perch...

…near sources of food and water.

We may choose to interact with others,

or find comfort in solitude.

We may seek shade in certain situations…

…and sun in others.

We prefer movable seating,

with some sense of order.

We gather at the water source for social reasons...

…and to restore our energy.

We take a seat to watch other

members of our species…

…or to connect with cultural institutions.

Sometimes comfort is the

most important factor.

This seating offers comfort,

conversation and a view.

But comfort may be cheerfully

sacrificed for novelty…

…when art and the park bench are combined.

Today’s public

seating provides

democratic

access to dining

with a multi-million

dollar view.

There is a

growing sense

of shared

responsibility…

…and appreciation for diversity.

Why does the

quality of public

seating matter

to our economic

health today?

Why are our

expectations

for the park bench

changing ?

In simple terms…

a depressed,

lonely, isolated,

unsafe, unhealthy,

low self-esteem

state of mind is

bad for today’s

means of production:

our brainpower.

Three decades ago, the quest to reduce crime

and anti-social activity in public spaces led to the

‘broken window theory’ of visual signals.

Today, community aspirations have moved

beyond ‘do no harm.’

The evolution of the park bench signals a

new era of respect for the power of public

spaces to nurture human relationships.

For example, this

“PLEASE TOUCH THE ART”

bench by Jeppe Hein was

created to encourage

conversation.

This public art

seating adds

vibrancy to the

community and

character to the

street.

At the base of this tall building there is public

seating which conveys openness, abundance…

The Qube, 611 Woodward Ave.

Bedrock Real Estate Services

Detroit, Michigan

…empathy and generosity.

We have an opportunity to feed our heads...

…by relaxing

with art, nature,

and other

humans…

…in various settings…

…provided there is some sense of protection.

We converse with friends...

…or begin new conversations.

Unique characters appear

where humans want to linger…

…these interesting characters are not attracted

to artificial places where public seating is absent.

These settings

feed our capacity to

work, think, renew

and socialize...

…so that we can

thrive in a

post-industrial,

knowledge based

economy.

PEOPLE

FRIENDLY

PUBLIC

SEATING

Sharon VanderKaay

Twitter: @svkaay

Evolution of the park bench

Pier 15 East River Esplanade

SHoP Architects with Ken Smith