Making the city oh so pleasant to take a load off your feet
Shanghai residents are sitting prett the city launched a three-year pro install more public seating along and popular gathering sites. The pl been creative in its execution.
“Urban renewal now focuses on what need rather than on just creating big land such as sculptures, plazas and skyscrapers Fan Wenbin, a professor with Shanghai Jia University.
Residents are sometimes pleasantly sur by the effects of the new seating.
Lu Pengcheng, a resident of a century-ol on Yuyuan Road, and his neighbors re opened their private courtyard to pedes under an agreement with the downtown Jin Subdistrict.
The yard, jointly owned by seven house used to be a bit of a dumping ground, b subdistrict promised to clean it up and tak maintenance if residents provided seati pedestrians.
“We didn’t like the idea at first,” said Lu, information technology engineer. “We had concerns. But we changed our mind after the subdistrict’s beautiful blueprint. It has out to be a nice experience talking with c pedestrians who stop here.”
Lu’s neighbor, a retiree surnamed Fan alone. She said she used to feel isolated courtyard wall, but now that the area is open destrians, it has “become alive and interes
American-Canadian journalist and urba ies activist Jane Jacobs (1916–2006) once sa city’s streets look interesting, the city look esting; if they look dull, the city looks dull
Shanghai’s government, perhaps taking from her observations, is trying to make more interesting by creating more public o seating.
Shanghai now has more than 14,000 publi — some new, some renovated old seats and donated by individuals or companies, the ery and Public Sanitation Bureau said.
Creative designs are deployed in new s especially along the banks of the Huangpu and Suzhou Creek — sites popular with and tourists.
Along the Hongkou section of Suzhou wooden benches evoke the waves of Shan “mother river.” Some iron seats feature th terns of butterflies or even envelopes to hig the nearby Shanghai Postal Museum.
Similar seats have been installed along th in Changning, where visitors can sit on S steel “waves” right beside the water.
Along the Huangpu River waterfront in Y District, known as the cradle of Shanghai’ ern industry, seats are made with rusted to recall the former glory of power, textil and other factories.
The North Bund waterfront has four c seats made of 160,000 recycled milk cart promote the city’s trash-sorting policy.
“The riverside region has become my room,” said Wu Wen, a 74-year-old retire practices tai chi near a row of benches North Bund every morning.
To a grandmother surnamed Wang, ch with neighbors on a public bench near her on Yuyuan Road is a daily pleasure.
We didn’t like the idea at first. We had safety concerns. But we changed our mind after seeing the subdistrict’s beautiful blueprint. It has turned out to be a nice experience talking with curious pedestrians who stop here.
Lu Pengcheng Resident of a century-old villa on Yuyuan Road
“My home is small and lacks sunshine,” she said. “I need fresh air, and I enjoy keeping in touch with old friends.”
Some circular seats on the North Plaza of Shanghai Railway Station have become social gathering sites for travelers from the same provinces. There, they share information from back home and help newcomers to the city.
However, it can be difficult sometimes to balance artistic design with comfort. Some of the city’s fancy new seats are a bit hard on the backside, Shanghai Daily found.
The metal benches on the Yangpu waterfront, for instance, are too cold in winter and too hot in summer, and the rusted surface is a concern to parents.
Other seats attract few users because they have no backrests. Some made with wooden or plastic materials are easily damaged, and most seats have no shield from rain and are often wet.
Zhou Hongtao, a professor with Tongji University, has suggested that public seating be designed with holes on the surface to shed rain water.
“These seats must be durable for at least five years without any maintenance,” Zhou said.
Following his own criteria, he has designed seating for seniors in the Siping community, one of the city’s oldest workers’ areas, built between the 1950s and 80s.
City authorities are also trying to encourage shop owners to allow people to use their streetside seats, even if they aren’t buying anything.
Meanwhile, companies and individuals are invited to donate seating and cover maintenance costs. Some notable names have heeded the call.
The first donation campaign was initiated in downtown Jing’an District late last year. Renowned composer Lu Qiming and conductor Cao Peng donated two seats on Yuyuan Road. Their names and mottos are inscribed on the benches to inspire musical interest.
A dozen benches on Changde Road, donated by a technology company, won favor with local residents because they come equipped with wireless charging facilities.
A cake shop on Panyu Road installed several seats made of beer cases and cushions, creating an online sensation that brought in more customers.
The Shanghai Institute of Computing Technology collaborated with a neighboring cafe and restaurant to convert a row of shelving once used for take-out orders into public benches.
“I always see seniors enjoying the sunshine or chatting with friends on the seats outside the institute,” said Li Feng, property manager of the institute. “I think it gives the city a sense of softness and warmth.”
Citywide, some 600 seats have been so far donated by citizens and companies, while some 1,700 are being shared by street shops, according to the bureau.
Jiao Tong’s Professor Fan has suggested that public seating be mobile, as is common in Paris.
“If the seats can be packed up easily and moved around, they can better adapt to the needs of the public,” he said.