More research to build on my context

http://www.pps.org/reference/generalseating/

"Good public spaces give people a choice of where and how they would like to sit. They provide different types of seating options such as ledges, steps, benches, moveable chairs as well as different places or locations within the same area, such as in the sun, in the shade, in groups, alone, close to activity, or somewhat removed from activity."

"Supporting how people sit or ways in which people like to sit on benches or seats affects seating design."

http://www.pps.org/reference/seating/

"Probably the best kind of seating is the moveable chair. Not perfect in every situation, it is nearly so in most. Why? Several reasons. Firstly, chairs are more comfortable than benches. Secondly, they’re inexpensive. Costs vary, but you can provide roughly 10 moveable chairs for the price of one bench (or even less). Thirdly, people can arrange chairs how they like, to sit nearer or farther apart, and move them around to either sun or shade (click on the video clip above to see moveable seating in action). This choice allows people to exercise their options to sit near an event, or away in the quiet, wherever they may feel more comfortable. Many times, they will leave them right where they are, or move them just a few inches."

"Certainly, providing moveable furniture opens up the possibility that it might be stolen. However, if the area is supervised by an attendant, or if the furniture is located near another amenity or activity where staff is present, then vandalism and theft become much less likely (Bryant Park reports that just a few of its hundreds of moveable chairs are stolen each year). "

http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/journals/research-journal/issue-03/seating-and-sitting-in-the-v-and-a-an-observational-study/

"The presence of people in public spaces has long been considered an important indicator of a healthy public life. Danish architect and academic Jan Gehl, one of the most influential researchers of public space in Europe in the 20th century, regards lingering (not to be confused with the more pejorative ‘loitering’) to be the key indicator of how well a public space is working, because it shows that a space offers enough interest (something to watch) and comfort (somewhere to sit) for people to choose to spend time there. Gehl regards seating as one of the most important provisions in public spaces to encourage lingering, because ‘[o]nly when opportunities for sitting exist can there be stays of any duration. If these opportunities are few or bad, people just walk on by’. (5) In outdoor spaces, weather plays a decisive role in how attractive a space may be on any given day. Because of this, one of the key indicators used by Gehl Architects in studies of cities around the world is whether or not a space shows a large discrepancy in use between winter and summer months."

http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/5-ways-we-design-our-cities-make-them-inhospitable-human-life-photos

“Urban spaces are aggressively rejecting soft, human bodies.”  

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/aug/04/pops-privately-owned-public-space-cities-direct-action

"When space is controlled, we tend to police ourselves, to monitor our behaviour and to limit our interactions"


Cities / Engage people in the design of public spaces / 02 March 2015 / 3 / Joana Mendo

"Who are we designing our spaces and our cities for? The people that use them"

"In the medieval period, everyone in a city or region would have been involved in building and the thinking behind its grand cathedral. Back then, the specialists, the artists, the craftsmen were sourced locally. There was a sense of participation and ownership among populations that lasted for generations."