Academic writing
for research
+ design and life in connection
Design practices extend beyond the creation of products. They are also about shaping experiences and environments. Designing comes across various of fields, as well as city development and neighbourhood evolution, playing a big role in people’s dwelling and collective well-being. Design and research methodologies are crucial for enhancing living spaces and their encounters. The physical environment profoundly impacts social interactions between individuals, whether they are family members, neighbours or even most of the times strangers.
“The city is the subject matter of urban design, but primarily it is the habitat, the everyday environment for the human beings who live in it.” Garyfallia [Fyllio] Katsavounidou in ‘Life between buildings: Using Public Space: The history of Jan Gehl’s book and the legacy of its philosophy for designing cities at human scale’, How we understand the city differs depending on our point of view.
For instance, in public spaces, benches are designed as an enhancement to the quality of the everyday life by providing a space for the person to rest, socialise or simply enjoy their surroundings. In this context, benches are not merely functional but serve as critical elements offering support for the lifestyle and social dynamics of an area.
The following subpoints will explore this further:
+ the fundamental act of sitting
Sitting is familiar to all of us as living creatures. This universal yet important action allows us to rest by supporting our body weight on a horizontal surface, such as a bench, allowing the torso to be upright, leaning against other objects, if needed. Of course, various raised surfaces could be used as seats, giving a variation of leg and back positions, depending on flexibility and comfort.
Thus, the design of a bench [or seat] follows the exact instructions of the human anatomy, making it an extension of the human body.
+ necessity of human presence
“There’s nothing in-human in a town, unless it’s our own humanity.” as the French novelist George Perec sums up in his book “Species of Spaces”.
Designed for the human scale, the bench is entirely connected to the human nature. Human-scale design prioritizes the proportions, details, and features that resonate with individuals as they navigate and interact with the built environment.
However, what if we remove the human from the seat? The seat looses its meaning without people’s existence. It becomes pointless, the moment it is not being used or is in some way abandoned.
Therefore, a part of benches characteristics is its purpose to serve the people. And even if we don’t really acknowledge it, it contributes quite a wide range of functions for an object, which lacks of movement or any kind of motion.
+ personal impact [privateness]
Benches provide a particular feeling to the one’s using it as well as holding cultural significance in many societies. It blends publicity with a sense of slight isolation, allowing people to detach from the landscape while still observing and being present in the public eye. This sense of public yet imaginative private space makes benches a key object in contemporary urban areas.
The modern bench is often even romanticised as a location of intimacy. The privacy is also prominent as benches are also embedded with personal experiences and memories. Each individual [even living creature] owns a different perception on a certain bench, fulling it with diverse feelings and personal significance.
Matt Maldre points it out like this in his article “Pause and sit on a bench”:
“Once you perform that one simple sitting, the bench is now forever transformed. It’s your bench now. Sitting on the bench one time is well worth the investment to transform that bench, so it carries more meaning for the rest of your life.”
+ trace of humans
Every human, who had an interaction of some way with a bench is welcomed to leave something behind. Even unintentional. Mostly graffiti tags, stickers, or even cigaret buds mark the human’s presence, adding up more personality to the specific bench. This way, even benches that look alike due to their common design can vary due to the difference in memories they hold or are filled with. Public seating could also be presented as a form of archive, depending on what kind of human expression is engraved into it.
+ bending time
The simple act of sitting can overcome time. When we consider the concept of time, we typically perceive it as a straight line—a sequence of events to complete before moving on to the next. However, the most meaningful, fulfilling paths are quite often not straight but curved. As garden designer William Kent famously remarked, “Nature abhors a straight line.” Also the time spend on a bench is a limitless constant. Due to the public use, everyone is welcomed to spend as much time as they want, making the duration of one’s experience in a way infinite.
+ mindfullness and peace
When one sits, the letting go of movement gives the brain a pause and opens up an opportunity to reflect. To think clearly. Leaving all energy to flow into the thinking process, rather than the physical one. This period of stillness allows us to observe and absorb, enhancing our connection to the particular space and even into one’s inner self, enabling us to gain control for tuning in and tuning out.
“There is not a more direct way of understanding, studying, and extracting knowledge about the human senses and how humans interact with space than observational study” Jan Gehl in ‘Life Between Buildings: Using Public Space’. “It is a practical knowledge, acquired through observing life in public space, where vision may be dominant, but all senses take part in the experience.”
Researches show that spending at least two hours a week outside can dramatically reduce stress, improve mood, and increase productivity. [10] It brings out an unique momentum of time of one’s everyday life to actively listen, breathe, look around and just simply be present in the ‘now’. It is no wonder that most of meditation practices rely on this method, highlighting the intersection between sitting and mindfulness. Therefore, benches provide effective means of focusing on mental health in urban environments- something that is quite important in our fast-paced world nowadays.
This aspect of benches impacts mostly the inside world of the human. However, benches can benefit the outside one- the social one.
+ social impact
The park bench is often an overlooked piece of street furniture but plays a crucial role in society. Experience shows that benches are a beneficial asset to communities, encouraging outdoor activities, representing a meeting space open to everyone. The locals, the people that pass by due to their daily errands or even someone who just arrived at the particular place for the first time ever. For many, a park bench is a place where they can meet friends, or enjoy a conversation. These social interactions can significantly enhance the sense of belonging in a particular neighbourhood, developing a conversation environment.
For instance, those so called ‘conversation landscapes’ can be seen in many traditional European trains, inducing interaction, in contrast with many seating arrangements in airplanes or airports, which are mostly placed with their backs to one another.
+ connectivity to area
Benches could be looked at as a bridge between the human and the particular area. Sitting on a newly encountered bench could strengthen one’s connection to a place. The street furniture can transform from a unnoticed object that was once just a part of the scenery into a familiar and comforting spot, a personal retreat, and a place to gather thoughts.
+ bench placement and psychology
As Jan Gehl points out in ‘Life between buildings: Using Public Space:’ people tend to prefer benches that provide a good view of surrounding activities. For instance, benches along main paths and open areas are the ones used mainly. This preference highlights the importance of visibility and orientation of benches in public seating. In bench placement it should also be taken into consideration the spatial functions and qualities of the specific location. Another factor is the placement of the bench in the certain urban space. Places offering a bench next to its spatial boundaries [next to a wall, for example] are quite more used than the ones that are in the center of the space. Effective seating options encourage longer stays, while when these opportunities are few or even bad, they would preferably lead the people to just walk by and never consider them again. The investigation of the architect John Lyle in Copenhagen supports these findings.
+ conclusion
Benches play a crucial role in urban spaces by fostering community interaction, providing mindfulness, supporting social inclusivity, and enhancing aesthetic appeal. Understanding the multiple roles of benches, residents, designers, foreigners and others can draw positives and appreciate their significance. As simple as they may seem, benches are fundamental elements of contemporary design that contribute to the overall well-being and cohesion of cities and their vibrant communities.
Bibliography:
+ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sitting#:~:text=Sitting is a basic action,in standing, squatting or kneeling.
+ https://www.descriptionari.com/quotes/seating/
+ https://www.broxap.com/blog/articles/importance-park-bench.html#:~:text=Though a park bench's primary,Park benches are extremely versatile!
+ https://www.spudart.org/blog/pause-and-sit-on-a-bench/
+ Life Between Buildings: Using Public Space - Jan Gehl
+ The Concise Townscape - Gordon Cullen
+ https://www.repo.uni-hannover.de/bitstream/handle/123456789/15277/15158_Life between buildings.pdf?sequence=1
+ https://www.bookey.app/book/life-between-buildings#chapter3
+ Life Between Buildings: Using Public Space: The history of Jan Gehl’s book and the legacy of its philosophy for designing cities at human scale - Garyfallia [Fyllio] Katsavounidou
+ https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-44097-3?utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=commission_junction&utm_campaign=CONR_PF018_ECOM_GL_PBOK_ALWYS_DEEPLINK&utm_content=textlink&utm_term=PID100090071&CJEVENT=c2e8f44a2fda11ef80b1bb630a18b8f7
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