The folding chair.
I sort of love it, you sort of love it, we all sort of love it. Probably because it's only sort of a chair. It wobbles and creaks, it's not terrifically comfortable, and it's not devilishly handsome either. But what if I told you that the humble chair you see before you is part of an urban solution to electrify public spaces?
One of the basic problems of designing a public space is that you could never in a million years conceive of all the ways that it will end up being used. You may plan for a public fountain that becomes an impromptu swimming pool. You might design a beautiful bench seating area that winds up as a bird-dropping collector more than anything else. People are going to take your space and run with it, so why not make it a little easier?
Enter: the movable chair. The proposed solution by William Whyte, one of the patron saints of urban planning, moveable chairs allow the designed space to become a designable space. Benches are static and often enough aren't where you find yourself wanting to sit. Ledges are more interesting, but they can only offer so much in the way of practicality. But movable chairs? *chef's kiss*
You'll find that people will drag the chairs together to arrange a social gathering. They'll place two of them opposed to each other for a seat and a footrest. They'll stand on them to get a better view of Shakespeare in the Park. And that's fine. I would never claim to know more about how people live their lives in that space than the people themselves, and I see no shame in letting them help me in the everyday process of designing it. I know we go to school to get a professional degree for this and all, but I'm all in for accepting that your average joe knows more about what they want than we do.
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