For elements of the public realm I was assigned to focus on street furniture and figure out what makes good street furniture? Is it more than just a place to sit or can we make it an interactive public feature to all. I did my research by going to places in my section of the bi-state corridor and really looked for these places that are more than just a place to sit.

Above are the six images of the Places where I found examples of street furniture. This ranges from actual street benches on street car stop and at the river market to different furnishings such as a statue in the median and even a fountain that can offer seating. These elements are great in focusing of where our ideas and design can move towards making great street furniture.

Above are my first to boards of my presentation. If you can notice I tried to make these boards with as much detail as possible, even adding small hints of street furniture at the top of the boards with a bench and a street light and even some recycling bins these are things that I’ve tried to add as street furniture is about the details and how they are minimal but when you focus on them you realize they matter. I believe that makes good street furniture, not the intricate design that may be outlandish, while it is nice to have great designing and unique street furniture, functionality is an important part of it. In the public realm having street furniture such as a bench to sit or rest is important as well as a bin to dispose of trash and/or recycling and some shade from the sun or rain are basic elements of street furniture that should always be kept in mind when designing a place for the public to sit. An example of how we can improve an area with street furniture are our street car stops, they don’t have enough room to sit there’s only one bench on the stop and any attempt to sit on the concrete would be physically uncomfortable for most people to squat down and sit. Just by adding a bigger sitting area and standing room people would be able to not have an uncomfortable time waiting for the street car. This would also include additional trash and recycling bins to make sure riders keep it as clean as possible.

Street furniture is everywhere and I believe after this project i can say that I have grown an even better understanding and appreciation of street furniture and howe it is an important part of urban design that should not be undervalued or overlooked.