The Deleted Scenes - Decorative Benches?
Last year, I wrote about a little dispute over public benches in a shopping center near my home, which raised complaints of disruptive behavior. I understand that, especially if the exact details were true (e.g. men catcalling women walking by, or drinking and being rowdy late at night). The benches ended up being removed. So I also wondered what exactly the point of public benches are if not to actually sit and use them:
I also wrote this, which is something I think about a lot:
Most of the men (it usually was men) who I ever saw sitting on these benches were Hispanic, so I wondered, too, if that raised a class/race element to how people perceived the benches: as a public amenity, or as a nuisance. Something like, “Who cares if the benches that are theoretically for everyone are removed, because people like us never use them anyway.” A few weeks ago, I received a really great and interesting comment on that piece which I’d like to share here. The comment analyzes the placement of the benches, which I photographed in the original piece (well, the spots where they used to be). Here they are again: And a closeup of one (that fence was also put up after homeowners complained about noise and people walking right in front of their homes): And here’s the comment:
Great stuff. This reminds me a lot of this bit I wrote, inspired by a professional designer, about how home design can facilitate socializing or make it more awkward:
In a way, urban design is like interior design writ large, and interior design is like urban design in miniature. What can seem like a behavior problem might actually be a design problem. I think that’s so interesting. Related Reading: Fifty Million Private Realms Might Be Wrong Thank you for reading! Please consider upgrading to a paid subscription to help support this newsletter. You’ll get a weekly subscribers-only post, plus full access to the archive: over 500 posts and growing. And you’ll help ensure more material like this! You're currently a free subscriber to The Deleted Scenes. For the full experience, upgrade your subscription. |
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