How Does Urban Furniture Shape Our Life?

The city experience is actually a sum of the streets, roads, parks, playgrounds and gardens that people interact with every day. The importance of urban furniture design stems from its effective role in improving the quality of this experience. Urban furniture unconsciously shapes our city experience, habits and feelings.

Objects designed for urban public spaces are accepted to be within the scope of urban furniture. Coming in different forms such as benches, waste bins, bus stops, lighting, signs and more, urban furniture combines functionality, aesthetics and experimentalism.

These daily objects both enrich the city experience and play an active role in shaping the urbanites’ behaviors. Because when a product is well designed in terms of user experience, it becomes more than an ordinary object. Therefore, street furniture designers have the responsibility to encourage public participation and positive environmental impact.

These spaces that foster communication with city sometimes might just be “around the corner”. For example, “Speakers’ Corner” in London’s famous Hyde Park continues to be the traditional symbol of democracy and freedom of expression. The corner has been the public speaking platform for many people in the country for nearly 140 years.

Going Green: Living the Sustainable City Life

As people internalize the sustainable lifestyle more, the interest in green spaces and energy conservation methods increase. Interaction with green spaces has numerous health benefits including the mental improvement inside the brain. As a result of the growing urban population and increasing pollution, eco-friendly urban furniture have become an urgent necessity.

Currently, there is a trend towards sustainability and the use of renewable materials in urban design. Solar street lights, benches that collect rain water for irrigation, are some examples on that matter. Sustainable concepts encourage designers to think outside the box, find innovative ways and contribute to the world.

Smart Cities where Connectivity is Everything

With the increasing influence of technology in our daily lives, urban furniture will turn into self-powered smart equipment. The Internet of Things (IoT) will create smart cities where effective connection management facilitates modern life. This developing technology will soon also be a part of autonomous vehicles which will revolutionize traffic management.

Although many engineering work has to be completed in order to fully integrate IoT into the urban infrastructure, numerable projects such as smart garbage bins and automatic irrigation systems are currently evaluated. As IoT enables the more efficient use of resources such as water and energy, it will become more and more important. It is also predicted that IoT will play an active role in social communication and problem solving.

City as a Playground for Children

Designing child-friendly cities where children can move safely from one place to another and socially interact with each other has become a global issue. According to the United Nations data, approximately 70 percent of the world’s population will live in urban areas by 2050, and the majority of this population consists of individuals under the age of 18. Building more playgrounds may not be the solution anymore. Instead, spaces that allow entertaining and educational activities are becoming more and more popular.

For instance, interactive playgrounds provide an area for children and young adults to develop their social, intellectual and physical skills. The game-generating potential of various physical designs on the streets and public spaces can develop more skills than any artificial playground. Plus, using humor in design can make the educational experience more efficient. Designers have a huge role in increasing the quality of children’s daily freedom, social interaction and affecting their overall development.

Common Street Furniture We Know

Urban furniture design can have various functions such as rest, communication, lighting, play, protection, navigation, waste disposal and etc. As Arman Design, we took part in many projects in the field of urban furniture so far. https://www.armandesign.com/product-design/urban-furniture-lighting/

• Benches, picnic tables, and chairs are meant to provide seating for the people. These elements allow for a place to think and rest and foster socialization among the urbanities.

• Wayfinding a key concept for design. People will need maps, street signs and information boards to navigate comfortably in the public space.

• Huge chess boards and playgrounds designed for children are also some examples of urban furniture that satisfies children’s need for play. They enrich the city experience by creating an entertainment element within city life.

• Waste disposal includes furniture that can vary according to different requirements such as capacity, usage or waste type. Separation of recyclable waste is a major example.

• Lighting plays an active role in space design. In addition to illuminating dark areas , it has functions such as making pedestrians feel safe and highlighting certain roads or areas.

• The shelter elements include public transport stops that protect against rain and wind. Public transport stops may also include a seating area and a lighting system for maps and advertisements.

• In addition to all these, advertising poles, fountains, fences, bicycle parking elements and much more can be included in street furniture.

As Arman Design, we find products that create an emotional connection with people exciting. We are well-aware of the huge effects of the smallest details on human life and daily experience. We continue to work on new urban furniture design projects with keeping these innovative trends in mind.