Public bench - service station for pedestrians

Public benches are a key element for active mobility and can be understood as service stations for pedestrians. They contribute to fostering and facilitating sustainable mobility, but are often underestimated or not included in urban planning and policies. The bench is often attributed to the activity of “sitting”. However, the bench is not the only public urban infrastructure offering this service, and “sitting” is by far not the only functionality of the public bench. Benches are important places for the active and passive participation in (urban) social life, an invitation to halts, picnics, reading, working, playing, urban sports, etc. The right offer of benches fosters and facilitates not only active mobility, but also strengthens neighbourhoods, increases perceived security and sojourning quality in public space, contributes to the public and individual, social and physiological health. In many cities, the current offer of public benches does not fulfil its function as "service station” for most of the potential users. The existing wide variety of different user groups of public space is characterised by a wide variety of different needs, priorities and obstacles for the use of benches. But usually, decisions on urban seating devices are made in the triangle of city administration, architects (designers) and bench producers. End users are usually not part of this decision-making process. Our studies aim to identify, understand and describe the different user groups as well as their motivations, needs, preferences and criteria for using or not using them. First results can be presented in form of criteria for the (right) positioning of benches and their micro-infrastructure, the model, form, material and size of benches, but also on the decision-making process for the use or non-use of benches and influence factors on the well-being on a bench.