Street furniture and Urban amenities

Street furniture and Urban amenities

KRITIIKA ANAND ENROLMENT NO. A/XXXX/XXXX PARAZ SONOWAL ENROLMENT NO. A/XXXX/XXXX VAIBHAV SAINI ENROLMENT NO. A/XXXX/XXXX VIGNESH S PILLAI ENROLMENT NO. A/XXXX/XXXX YEAR: 2020-21

URBAN DESIGN RESEARCH PAPER

DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE

SCHOOL OF PLANNING AND ARCHITECTURE NEW DELHI – 110002

Urban Design Research 2020-21

STREET FURNITURE AND URBAN AMENITIES Abstract: This research attempts to study the various parameters that affect the design of street furniture in the Indian context. This study is important to investigate how architects, urban designers, and city planners can design street furniture and urban amenities sensitively, and integrate them into the cityscape. The study involved a literature review to understand the topic which was then correlated with case studies. A survey was also conducted to understand user preferences and aspirations. Street furniture in Indian streets is often overlooked as being unimportant, and even in cases where it is included, they are simply treated as tangible objects that can be placed in any physical environment without emphasizing its aesthetics, usability, and relevance to the context. The aesthetic appeal of urban amenities was found to be an important factor in the survey. It was also found that poor maintenance and hygiene were the main reasons for people being hesitant to use street furniture and urban facilities. Through secondary case studies, it was found that designing the context, i.e. the roads and sidewalks is equally important, and the poor design and maintenance of sidewalks and footpaths in the Indian context is one of the factors which negatively affects the efficacy of urban amenities.

Keywords: Street furniture; urban amenities; urban design; public realm; pedestrian

1.Introduction Streets are a public thoroughfare in the built environment, on which people assemble, interact, congregate, and move along. The main point of difference between a road and a street is that a road caters to vehicles whereas streets act as spaces for public interaction. Streets also play an important role in bringing people together for different activities including performances, interactions, gatherings or simply hanging out. Jane Jacobs qualified streets and their sidewalks as the main public places of a city and considered them as its most vital organs (DUAC, 2018a). Streets are the veins of a city and their character determines the quality of urban space. But what gives a street its character?

Street furniture is an important component that enhances the dynamic nature of the streets and makes them more pedestrian-friendly. Street furniture creates settings for interaction and places for shared encounters in the city. They enhance a space experientially and give the space its character, which adds on to the publicness of the urban realm. A properly designed streetscape can influence and benefit human beings in more ways than one, including mental, physical, and aesthetic well-being.

Apart from being functional, they are also socially significant by creating a sense of belonging and by aiding people in gathering together. Proper integration of street furniture and public amenities helps in creating an identity and a sense of place in the urban fabric (Prvanov, 2017). Hence, it is imperative to study the importance of street furniture and pedestrian amenities in shaping the public realm of a city.

The importance of this study arises from the need to investigate how architects, urban designers, and city planners design such interventions sensitively and integrate them into the cityscape.

Understanding the relevance of street furniture and how they help in forming the image of a city is an important aspect of this research. In addition to this, identifying and analyzing the different parameters that affect the design of street furniture in the Indian context also forms a substantial part of this research.

Dept. of Architecture, School of planning and architecture, New Delhi

Urban Design Research 2020-21

The cities of today seem to be designed more for the ease of use of vehicles rather than prioritising pedestrians. Jane Jacobs had established that urban streets are the main spaces for social interaction and hence pedestrian activity must not be ignored (DUAC, 2018a). Some of the key issues and challenges relating to pedestrian amenities that have been identified in India include (UTTIPEC, 2009): 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Missing road markings, signage, and symbols Improper width of pavements Inappropriate kerb heights Lack of differently abled-friendly features Lack of safe pedestrian crossing, footpaths, and refuges Improperly maintained pedestrian pathways Absence of pedestrian crossing at prominent intersections Lack of facilities for non-motorised vehicles and pedestrians

Hence, it can be established that there is an urgent need to recognize and respond to the urban public realm through the sensitive design of streets, by making them more accessible, safe, comfortable and pedestrian-friendly. And street furniture plays a very important role in this process. Often, street furniture in Indian streets is often overlooked as a necessity and even in cases where it is included, they are simply treated as tangible objects to be placed in a physical environment without laying emphasis on its functionality, aesthetics and usability. They are placed on the streets independently over time with no coordination and no response to its context and as a result of this, they fail to activate the public realm. The scope of the paper is limited to understanding the various parameters that affect the design of street furniture and urban amenities in the Indian context.

2. Street furniture and urban amenities Street furniture and urban amenities consist of various man-made elements of the streetscape located on any type of pedestrian zones and maybe free-standing or fixed. These include but are not limited to benches and seaters, toilets, trashcans, traffic lights and signages, marked crosswalks, transit stop shelters, roadway lighting, pedestrian overpasses/underpasses, landscape elements like fountains and planters, amenities for differently-abled, public art, bicycle racks, etc. The concept of street furniture in essence is about the passive consumption of urban spaces, thus the street furniture to some extent dictates how we can occupy and use public space (Dellenbaugh-Losse, 2017). Street furniture can be classified based on (Prvanov, 2017): 1. The activity or the function 1.1 Sports activities and entertainment 1.2 Retail and shopping 1.3 Streets 1.4 Sacred spaces 1.5 Recreational Spaces, etc.

1.6 Communication (Signages) 2. Type of fixing 2.1 Fixed 2.2 Freestanding Dept. of Architecture, School of planning and architecture, New Delhi

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3. Maintenance required and local bodies responsible 4. Type of production Establishing and defining the nature and character of the urban space under consideration is the first step while designing street furniture. Different urban spaces like parks, streets, plazas, recreational spaces, sacred spaces, and retail spaces etc have different needs. Therefore, understanding the nature of the user group and the different possible ways or purposes for which space may be utilised is imperative in this process. The elements used for achieving this may be numerous, such as signage or street-lighting and can vary between the sites under consideration. In addition to the intangible aspects, the selection and design of street furniture should also consider effects such as sunlight, expansion and contraction, moisture, wind stress and in certain cases, frost or ice (Yücel, 2013). The function is one of the main principles of street furniture design and can be divided into three sub-principles (Prvanov, 2017): a. Basic: Usage, comfort, accessibility, arrangement and aesthetics b. Technique: Installation and maintenance c. Practice: Safety, and urban policy and regulations People are the centre of street furniture design and the urban landscape is created for humans and their activities (Prvanov, 2017). The three main factors to achieve people-oriented design are:

1. Flexibility The world changes every day and with that the needs of the urban environment change. The street furniture should be able to adapt to changing needs. The furniture should also be multi-use so that it can be used at all times. The original function of street furniture is to satisfy both the physiological and psychological needs of people in public places. According to particular needs and places, suitable street furniture should be installed to provide appropriate usage.

2. Sustainability Street furniture is part of the urban environment, its design should be committed to sustainable development, which benefits human survival, thus fulfilling its people-oriented premise (Yücel, 2013). This can be achieved by using: 1. Material 2. Maintenance 3. Universal design The people-oriented design aims to serve all different types of people, including male and female, old and young, and those with and without a handicap (Yücel, 2013).

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Figure 1. Principles of Street Furniture Design (Prvanov, 2017, p. 42)

3. Secondary Case Study Secondary case studies have been undertaken to understand the design and placement of street furniture.

3.1. Aundh Street programme The Aundh Street Programme referred to as “From Roads to Streets” was developed by the Pune Municipal Corporation(PMC). First, a pedestrian plaza mockup was executed to understand the issues and test the viability of the scheme. This process along with a discussion with the citizens helped them to identify the main challenges and also helped them to devise strategies to counter them. The main actions taken included the widening of roads, introduction of the median, increase in parking percentage and widening of footpaths.

The main emphasis was given to making the streets pedestrian-friendly. Widening the pedestrian pathways, providing universal accessibility features, giving proper distinction between pedestrian and vehicular paths, giving dedicated spaces for vehicle parking and introduction of proper signage were some of the important strategies that were adopted. Because of the street edge not being well-defined before, people used to encroach upon the pedestrian pathways to park their two-wheelers. But this issue was solved by removing the temporary separators in front of the shops which also helped in developing a continuous public realm. Trees at regular intervals provide shade from harsh sunlight and the base of these trees also double up as seating spaces. Addition of streetlights, proper signages, public art, statues, installations and vertical gardens improved the character of the space. Introduction of a dedicated pedestrian crossing at important intersections also helped in making the spaces more user-friendly. (Pune Municipal Corporation, 2017)

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Figure 2. Aundh Street programme, Pune (Source: Pune Municipal Corporation)

3.2. Parklet Program, San Francisco Parklets are small parks which provide amenities such as seatings, plantation, bicycle parking, art, etc.

The initiative was first started by a private firm in 2005 in San Francisco as an experiment which got positive feedback from the public. As a result, the parklet initiative was born. (Owens, 2018) In 2009, the Pavement to Parks was initiated in collaboration with the Planning Department, Public Works, Municipal Transportation Agency and the San Francisco Mayor’s Office to transform and utilise the excessively wide and underutilized spaces along the streets into parklets. This initiative led to a more formalized way of planning and commissioning of parklets in and around the city. (Panganiban and Ocubillo, 2014)

Figure 3. People enjoy the sun in a parklet on Divisadero Street, San Francisco (Source: The Epoch Times)

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Urban Design Research 2020-21

Figure 4.PARK(ing) Day celebration (Source: Schemata Workshop)

Parklets were developed along sidewalks and pedestrian zones which provided seating spaces for the pedestrians as well as provide a break space for them, which acted like traffic breakers in the dense urban pockets in the city. At the same time, parklets installed near small businesses and retails, mostly in residential and commercial neighbourhoods, provided the necessary congregational spaces and helped activate those areas in and around the city of San Francisco (Owens, 2018). As per the Planning Department of San Francisco 2019, there are over 59 such parklets all over the city in carefully selected locations within the housing. (Planning, 2019)

Figure 5. Map of San Francisco; location of parklets within the housing localities (Source: Department of Planning, San Francisco)

In terms of its maintenance, the ownership of these parklets was often handed over to the community which held collective responsibility for its upkeep. For those installed in business/ retails areas, often shops adjacent to it would take over its ownership. As per a study conducted in 2015, parklets have Dept. of Architecture, School of planning and architecture, New Delhi

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led to an increase of 4% pedestrian traffic in those areas, with an 11% rise in cycle volume. At the same time, over 61% of people feel “very safe” from traffic when in parklets. (Global Designing City Initiative, 2015) At another survey conducted by the San Francisco Planning Department in 2014, a sample survey of 20 parklet sites was taken into account to understand its impact on the city itself. Some of its key findings were as follows: 1. In terms of activity, parklets tend to have a higher degree of activities performed than the surrounding walkway, as well as activities flowing into each other. (Panganiban and Ocubillo, 2014)

Figure 6. Graph showing daily activities in Parklet vs. Sidewalk (Source: San Francisco Planning Department)

Figure 7. Graph showing weekend activities in Parklet vs. Sidewalk (Source: San Francisco Planning Department)

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2. Since there exists a higher degree of activity in the parklets, it is not necessary that the sidewalks too should have a higher number of pedestrian movement. (Panganiban and Ocubillo, 2014)

3. Parklets tend to support the local business, therefore most of the users have to pay for them to use it, which is often minimal. But this does not make the space inaccessible to those who can’t spend and still makes them popular for socialising. (Panganiban and Ocubillo, 2014)

Figure 8. A survey showing peoples’ reasons to visit a parklet (Source: San Francisco Planning Department)

4. Regardless of its location and travel time, people tend to arrive via alternative modes of transit to access the opportunities and services provided by the parklet. (Panganiban and Ocubillo, 2014)

Figure 9. A survey showing modes of transport taken by individuals to visit a parklet (Source: San Francisco Planning Department)

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The survey concluded that parklets have become popular spaces for socializing both with the residents and non-residents where regardless of its proximity, people often tend to come and gather in these places. At the same time, because of its location in commercial localities, they tend to support local business and make sidewalks safer for pedestrian movement.

4. Methodology The initial part of the research targeted to study the importance of urban furniture and pedestrian amenities and the role they play in activating the public realm. This was achieved through literature review and it was substantiated through the findings of the secondary case studies.

An online survey was also conducted from 16th - 20th November 2020 and shared through social media platforms and messaging platforms. The sample size of 60 respondents gave a confidence interval of 12.65 at a confidence level of 95%. Around 75% of the respondents belonged to the age group of 18-25 years. For the survey, first, a collage of images was shown to establish what street furniture and public amenities are. Questions were asked based on the aesthetics, functionality and comfort, to understand which parameter is more important to the user. Since street furniture is there to enhance the pedestrian realm, user experience was an important part of the survey. The findings from the survey are given in the next section and the list of questions asked is attached in appendix 1.

5. Results/ Findings As shown in Fig. 10, it was found that most of the respondents of the survey gave maximum importance to functionality, followed by comfort and aesthetics. Even though the respondents prefered functionality over aesthetics, it is aesthetics that makes the image of the city. In the survey, a series of images were shown of certain types of street furniture and public amenities, both Indian and international examples. Most of the respondents chose aesthetically pleasing images. Even though the street furniture and public amenities in India are functional they are not pleasant to look at, nor are they in a good condition to use. This may be one of the reasons as to why it was not preferred by the respondents. People in the range of 45 years and above prefer comfort over aesthetics, but people in the age group of 18-25 years give aesthetics more value.

Figure 10.The choice of preference regarding the important aspect of a street furniture design (Source: Author) Dept. of Architecture, School of planning and architecture, New Delhi

Urban Design Research 2020-21

Around 91.7% of respondents feel hesitant about using street furniture. The survey also documented why users feel hesitant and Indian street furniture, and public amenities weren't used that much. As shown in Fig. 11, poor maintenance and hygiene were the major concerns.

Figure 11. Reason for hesitation in using street furniture (Source: Author)

As shown in Fig. 12, around 86.7% feel that Indian streets aren’t designed for pedestrians and most of the respondents feel that the street furniture in India is not up to the mark. It has to be designed better.

It was found that benches and seaters, and trash cans are most sought after public amenities followed by signages and lighting. For retail streets and shopping spaces like Connaught Place (CP), Lajpat Nagar markets etc. public toilets and trash cans were the most sought after urban amenities. Public art and installations were desired more in the plaza and congregational spaces.

Figure 12. People’s view on Indian streets (Source: Author)

When shown images of street furniture in Connaught place and Parklets of San Francisco and asked to rate the visual appeal and likeability on a scale of 1-5, the majority rated Connaught Place to be from 1-3 with around 40% rating it 2 whereas in case of Parklets of San Francisco the majority rated it 4-5.

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Case study - Connaught Place (CP) Connaught Place is laid out as two circular rings of concentric buildings around a central open space with three sets of radial roads running consecutively with respect to the buildings, thus dividing them into Inner Circle, Middle Circle, and Outer Circle (Bhaskaran, 2017). The entire complex is dotted with various commercial activities of varying degrees, with the Inner Circle being the most active, acting as the “people catcher”. The front of the Inner Circle has a pedestrian walkway which can be divided into two circles, viz.

1.

A 2.5 meter wide, covered colonnade double-height walkway, with one side lined by stores.

2. Another 2.5-meter wide pedestrian pathway, adjacent to the colonnade with street furniture These urban amenities help create a break in the movement by provisioning spaces for interaction.

This provides them with the opportunity to pause and engage in other activities (Bhaskaran, 2017).

Over time, the focus of the development of CP has shifted from the introduction of activities to the reorganization of spaces and decongestion. The huge scale of Connaught Place creates issues related to cleanliness and maintenance of spaces that could otherwise be opened up for public interactions or utilities (DUAC, 2018b).

Figure 13. Map of Connaught Place showing existing condition and problems of footpaths (Source: Pedestrianisation of CP, DUAC Report 2018)

A site survey was conducted in 2019. It was observed that even though CP has provided public amenities like water disposal machines etc, it has not given much thought to its design and how it sits

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with the image of the city. It acts as a separate entity and does not blend in with the urban landscape.

The public amenities as of now encroach into the pedestrian zone and completely spoilt it.

The Delhi Urban Arts Commission (DUAC) has put forward a proposal for the pedestrianization of CP. But the idea was vehemently opposed by the shopkeepers guild as in a city like Delhi with extreme weather, pedestrianization just won't work. However, the street furniture and public plaza design in the proposal can be taken forward. CP is the commercial hub of Delhi and it forms the image of the city and The design should reflect that.

Figure 14. Dustbins, Connaught Place Inner Circle, C-Block. (Source: The Statesman)

Figure 15. Seating, Connaught Place Inner Circle, B-Block. (Source: The New Learn)

Subways also are important parts of the streets. In India, even though subways are not designed to be proper transition spaces. They come across as unsafe and unhygienic spaces. Users prefer crossing the road rather than using the underpass.

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Figure 16. Map showing the location of Subway with access points. (Source: DUAC)

Most people do not use it as it is much easier to cross the road, and the subway is used as a night shelter. These subways lack any secondary activity. They can form an important part of the public realm, but for that, they have to be treated as such and designed like that.

Figure 17. Map showing the location of Wifi stations in and around Connaught Place. (Source: Author)

Figure 18. Map showing the location of NDMC parking in and around Connaught Place. (Source: Author)

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Figure 19. Map showing the location of NDMC PTU in and around Connaught Place. (Source: Author)

In 2017, the New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC), undertook the task of revamping and refurbishing the area of CP under the smart city initiative. It added public amenities such as water bottle dispensers, toilets, and wifi. When a survey was conducted on-site, it was found out that most of these facilities didn't work and served no purpose. They were not maintained properly as well as they didn't create any urban level impact. The NDMC App corroborated the observations made on-site

6. Discussion/ Conclusion Street furniture has come a long way from being just objects placed along the streets to becoming a part of the nation’s identity and a reflection of the urban realm of the city. The role played by street furniture and urban amenities in improving the usability of the streets has been observed through the course of this research. The literature review along with the case studies and survey revealed how the user-sensitive design of pedestrian facilities and street furniture can result in the creation of inclusive and cohesive urban environments. Comfort and functionality are important, but if urban amenities do not look aesthetically pleasing it reduces the overall user impact. It was understood that designs that are not integrated with the urban fabric and are not linked with the urban identity tend to be short lived designs in the long run. They neither offer a glimpse of the past nor the future and fail to create a permanent impact. Ideally, urban amenities should meet the needs of all classes of society and be accessible to people from all walks of life. It should meet the cultural and psychological needs of the people. Street furniture must be people-oriented to have maximum success.

Various guidelines have been developed for the design and implementation of street furniture and urban amenities by different government bodies, city management and councils, and independent organisations. E.g. NACTO, GDCI, UTTIPEC, Street design guidelines by DDA, Urban Street Design Guidelines Pune, IRC Guidelines for Pedestrian Amenities etc. Through the course of this study, the various attributes that aid in the design of these elements have been identified and analysed. The following are the parameters that should be kept in mind when designing street furniture.

1. Nature of the space 2. Usage/ Function of the design (Smart furniture) Dept. of Architecture, School of planning and architecture, New Delhi

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3. Comfort a. Anthropometrics b. Flexibility of use 4. Accessibility (Universal Design) 5. Placement a. Location b. Quantity c. Visibility d. Spatial arrangement 6. Aesthetics a. Form and geometry b. Material c. The visual experience of the city 7. Cost 8. Sustainability a. Durability b. Maintenance Location is key when it comes to placing these amenities. The best location is in places with high footfall and activity. For example, benches can be placed near bus stops and retail streets. An important point to consider is that these amenities cannot be seen in isolation. Rather they must be designed in such a way that it blends with the urban environment and gives it another layer of publicness. Another key aspect of urban street furniture is the way the elements are arranged in space.

Arrangements can be interactive or contemplative. In the case of fixed spacing, the position, orientation and arrangement play a key role. These help in deciding the placement of other landscape features. (Dellenbaugh-Losse, 2017). The most common materials used for street furniture are wood and steel. Other possibilities include concrete, stone, recycled plastic, etc. The choice of material should be governed by factors such as weather conditions of the site, user group, cost, ease of maintenance, and the frequency with which it is going to be used. The colours chosen for street furniture should be such that it creates the least visual noise. They should contrast significantly in colour with respect to the background in which they are situated and have a luminance contrast of at least 0.3 (30%) to increase their visibility to the pedestrians (Yücel, 2013).

Another factor that should be kept in mind while designing street furniture is sustainability. Recycling materials in street furniture helps in reducing the carbon footprint and can make for innovative design.

And at the same time, it also educates the public regarding the importance and benefits of recycling.

For example, street lamps can be converted into photovoltaic power sources and this can help in supplying energy to the city’s power grid (Yücel, 2013).

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Figure 19. Image showing Key parameters for Street furniture design. (Source: Author)

Pavement and Street Design Streets are the centres of activity. For this reason, it is vital for streetscapes to be designed for the safety of all users, especially children, elderly and the differently-abled (DUAC, 2018a). Shaded pathways with high visibility from roads that offer seatings and rest stops encourage walking and cycling. Failing to create such pathways leads to underused street spaces that are perceived as unsafe and deter public use (DUAC, 2018a). As observed in the Aundh Street Programme case study, streets have to be designed to seamlessly incorporate the elements of furniture and public amenities and not just placed randomly on the site. How the furniture element sits within the context and complements the larger urban environment is as important as the design of the element itself. It was observed from the case study that when there was no clear demarcation between the vehicular road and the pedestrian footpath, the latter tend to be encroached upon by two-wheelers for parking. This creates several difficulties for pedestrians as well as other users. But the interventions by the municipal corporation in the case study illustrated how this issue can be tackled through proper demarcation and redesign of the pedestrian path and vehicular road and also showed how the addition of furniture elements have helped the pedestrians to reclaim the streets as a public space and to reimagine an urban realm that is inclusive and user-friendly.

Aesthetics In the context of public space, aesthetics is derived from how attractive space is and how well all the architectural and landscape elements sit together in harmony. An attractive place is not only pleasing to the senses but is also perceived to be safe. (DUAC, 2018a) This can be achieved through: 1. Public art 2. Clean spaces and areas 3. Using colours and texture to create a user-friendly environment 4. Graffiti and personal touches 5. Maintenance and management

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Public Toilets Public spaces must be provided with well-designed male and female public toilets in highly visible and accessible locations to promote their use and enhance people’s perception of safety (DUAC, 2018a). Women’s safety can be promoted by creating clean and public toilets. Toilets that are dark and dirty, with broken doors and no attendants are seldom used by women. Public toilets should not be located in isolation, but rather in highly active spaces. It should be easily available. These can strategically be located on commercial streets and near transit stops (DUAC, 2018a). From the CP Case study, it was observed that public amenities like toilets in India are not maintained properly. And are in a bad condition. Therefore, maintenance and sanitation are among the key concerns.

Various concerns related to street furniture and public amenities include: 1. Maintenance: Street furniture is often exposed to harsh conditions of weather and is subject to wear and tear due to repeated use. Repair and maintenance are inevitable and one way to make this process easier is to design street furniture using modular replaceable parts.

2. Vandalism: Street furniture is also subjected to acts of vandalism which can include burning, carving or spray painting. To a certain extent, vandalism can be prevented through a conscious selection of materials. Wood and plastic are popular choices as materials for street furniture but are more prone to vandalism. Steel is the most resistant but it is usually more costly than its counterparts.

3. Theft: Another major concern affecting street furniture is theft. Problems of theft and vandalism can also be attributed to the issue of lack of surveillance and monitoring. One possible way to counter this is again by the suitable use of materials like concrete for the furniture elements which cannot be subject to theft.

4. It has also been observed that street furniture is often used as a form of social control by governments. Most of these are explicitly designed to prevent undesirable and antisocial behaviour. Examples of such kind of public amenities and street furniture include accessories that are designed to prevent activities like benches which are designed to hinder conversation between people in unauthorised places or sharp elements which are placed on flat surfaces or beneath flyovers to prevent homeless people from sleeping on them.

Public-Private relationship The maintenance and prevention of vandalism of street furniture can be achieved by a public-private partnership where a private player provides the infrastructure for street furniture and the public (eg. local community, retail, etc) take over its possession. This has two major positive implications- a).

The nearby area gets activated by the pedestrian movement, b). The owner/s get the revenue out of the street infrastructure because of public participation. (eg. The Parklets of San Francisco). A similar approach can be adopted for the Indian street design, where such street infrastructure can be established at key locations in a neighbourhood. The community or the adjacent retail can take over the ownership of those infrastructure and follow a similar model, in the case of San Francisco.

However, the above point is possible only if importance is given to pedestrian movement, i.e, making streets more pedestrian-friendly. Looking at Pune’s example, we see an extensive remodelling of the pedestrian walkway, with street amenities like streetlights, proper signages, mini-gardens, Dept. of Architecture, School of planning and architecture, New Delhi

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benches, and trees for shade. At the same time, the pedestrian walkways should not be treated as parking spots for vehicles, especially two-wheelers. The edges of the walkways should be properly defined to prevent the same (vehicular parking issue) as well as provide a clear walkable and pedestrian-friendly pathway.

In addition to complying to a series of requirements and guidelines that can complement the urban environment, street furniture should also be designed by keeping the factor of sustainability in mind.

It has been revealed through the study that further explorations and innovations in this field are taking place through the advent of ‘Smart Street Furniture’, made possible with the advancements in technology. This includes the design of furniture that aims at energy efficiency, helps in preventing acoustic and light pollution and enhances accessibility for persons with disabilities, along with other possibilities and advantages (“Smart furniture to build better smart cities,” 2019). Bus stops with charging outlets, WiFi services, assistive technology and audio guidance for blind persons, resting areas which enable the users to charge their phones, with interactive screens that provide information about the city, hydraulic-powered pop-up furniture, solar powered-street lamps, interactive signages etc are some of the latest innovations in this field. Commitment towards the use of renewable forms of energy and judicious consumption of electricity are other characteristics of smart street furniture (“Smart furniture to build better smart cities,” 2019).

Figure 21. Solar Powered Elios Smart Public Bench (Source: Homecrux)

Figure 22. Marina Bay in Singapore (Source: Off Grid World)

For example in Marina Bay, the trees have canopies, and each has sustainable functions embedded in it. Some have photovoltaic cells that help in lighting. Others are integrated with the cooled conservatories and serve as air exhaust receptacles (“Solar Supertrees in Singapore are Vertical Gardens That Light Up the Night Sky - Off Grid World,” n.d.).

The collection of purposeful application of the information in the design, utilization of public services in a good manner for the organization of, and benefits to human activities would form the purview of street furniture technology design (Hassanein, 2017). Hence, Smart street furniture can act as catalysts for the concept of Smart Cities by creating public spaces that utilise technology to create effective communication, to activate the public spaces, to enhance services, reduce costs and resource consumption and thereby aid in the creation of sustainable environments.

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7. Limitation Due to the ongoing pandemic, the collection of data required for the study was restricted to secondary means such as online sources. Hence, it is beyond the scope of this study to draw any conclusions based on a primary case study or personal experience and hence relies solely only on secondary sources.

Acknowledgements This research would not have been possible without the guidance and support of several individuals who contributed to the completion of this study. We would like to thank our guides Dr Amit Hajela and Ar Vikas Kanojia for the constant encouragement and helpful critique and suggestions for our work. We would also like to extend our gratitude to all the respondents of our online survey.

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Global Designing City Initiative, 2015. Case Study: Pavement to Parks; San Francisco, USA [WWW Document]. Glob. Des. Cities Initiat. URL https://globaldesigningcities.org/publication/global-street-design-guide/streets/pedestrian-priority-spaces/parklet s/case-study-pavement-to-parks-san-francisco-usa/ (accessed 11.24.20).

Hassanein, H., 2017. Smart Technical Street Furniture Design “Case Study of New Cairo Administrative Capital.”

Owens, L.B., 2018. A Tale of Two Cities: The Parklet Implementation Processes in Los Angeles and San Francisco 62.

Panganiban, J., Ocubillo, R.A., 2014. SUMMARY OF DATA COLLECTED FOR SUMMER 2014 PUBLIC LIFE STUDY 81.

Planning, S.F.D. of, 2019. A Look at the Human Impact of Parklets and the People Who Make Them [WWW Document]. URL https://groundplaysf.org/wp-content/parklet-impact-study/ (accessed 11.22.20).

Prvanov, S., 2017. STREET FURNITURE IN HIGH-DENSITY URBAN AREAS: Geometry, Ergonomic, and CNC Production. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.20396.26242/1 Pune Municipal Corporation, 2017. Aundh Street Programme.

Smart furniture to build better smart cities, 2019. . Tomorrow.Mag. URL https://www.smartcitylab.com/blog/urban-environment/smart-furniture-to-build-better-smart-cities/ (accessed 12.7.20).

Solar Supertrees in Singapore are Vertical Gardens That Light Up the Night Sky - Off Grid World [WWW Dept. of Architecture, School of planning and architecture, New Delhi

Urban Design Research 2020-21

Document], n.d. URL https://offgridworld.com/solar-supertrees-singapore-vertical-gardens-light-night-sky/ (accessed 12.8.20).

UTTIPEC, 2009. Street Design Guidelines.

Yücel, G.F., 2013. Street Furniture and Amenities: Designing the User-Oriented Urban Landscape.

References Books Jacobs, Jane, 1961. The Death and Life of Great American Cities Papers Bhaskaran, R., 2017. Design Determinants for Safety in Public Spaces. Int. J. Eng. Technol. Sci. Res. 4.

Dellenbaugh-Losse, M., 2017. The Physical and Social Normative Properties of Street Furniture.

DUAC, 2018a. THE ENABLING OF SAFE PUBLIC SPACES IN DELHI. DUAC, 2018b. PedestrianiSation of Connaught Place Movement and Design.

Hassanein, H., 2017. Smart Technical Street Furniture Design “Case Study of New Cairo Administrative Capital.”

Panganiban, J., Ocubillo, R.A., 2014. SUMMARY OF DATA COLLECTED FOR SUMMER 2014 PUBLIC LIFE STUDY 81.

Planning, S.F.D. of, 2019. A Look at the Human Impact of Parklets and the People Who Make Them [WWW Document]. URL https://groundplaysf.org/wp-content/parklet-impact-study/ (accessed 11.22.20).

Prvanov, S., 2017. STREET FURNITURE IN HIGH-DENSITY URBAN AREAS: Geometry, Ergonomic, and CNC Production. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.20396.26242/1 Owens, L.B., 2018. A Tale of Two Cities: The Parklet Implementation Processes in Los Angeles and San Francisco 62.

Yücel, G.F., 2013. Street Furniture and Amenities: Designing the User-Oriented Urban Landscape.

Articles and Blogs A look at the human impact at parklets, San Francisco Parklets programme. URL https://groundplaysf.org/wp-content/parklet-impact-study/ Global Designing City Initiative, 2015. Case Study: Pavement to Parks; San Francisco, USA [WWW Document]. Glob. Des. Cities Initiat. URL https://globaldesigningcities.org/publication/global-street-design-guide/streets/pedestrian-priority-spaces/parklet s/case-study-pavement-to-parks-san-francisco-usa/ (accessed 11.24.20).

Smart furniture to build better smart cities, 2019. . Tomorrow.Mag. URL https://www.smartcitylab.com/blog/urban-environment/smart-furniture-to-build-better-smart-cities/ (accessed 12.7.20).

Solar Supertrees in Singapore are Vertical Gardens That Light Up the Night Sky - Off Grid World [WWW Document], n.d. URL https://offgridworld.com/solar-supertrees-singapore-vertical-gardens-light-night-sky/ (accessed 12.8.20).

Documents IRC, 2012, Guidelines for Pedestrian Amenities.

NACTO, 2012, Urban Street Design Guide PMC, 2016, Urban Street Design Guidelines Pune Pune Municipal Corporation, 2017. Aundh Street Programme.

UTTIPEC, 2009. Street Design Guidelines.

Appendix 1: Online survey questions The below-mentioned questions were part of the survey conducted from 16th - 20th November 2020.

Name, Age Group and Gender *Collage of street furniture and urban amenities shown* Dept. of Architecture, School of planning and architecture, New Delhi

Urban Design Research 2020-21

1. When talking about street furniture and other public amenities what do you think is more important? Arrange in order of importance. (Aesthetics, Comfort, Functionality) 2. What type of street furniture do you require in the following settings: (Benches and Seaters, Public toilets, Lighting, Signage, Trash cans, Sidewalks, Public art, Landscape elements, Others please specify) a. Markets like Connaught place b. Markets like Lajpat Nagar and Sarojini Nagar c. Walkways and footpaths d. Public plazas and shopping districts 3. How would you rate the environment and the resultant experience created by the following examples of street furniture/street amenities? *Four images were shown and respondents asked to rate each on a scale of 1-5 from Unattractive-Attractive*

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Which of these public toilets would you prefer to use? *Images shown and asked to select* Which of these trash cans would you like to see on your streets? *Images shown and asked to select* Which of these seaters would you like to see in your city?*Images shown and asked to select* Which Signages design would you like to see in your city?*Images shown and asked to select* Which lighting type would you like to see on your street?*Images shown and asked to select* Which Bus stop design aligns with your idea of "Image of the city"?*Images shown and asked to select*

10. Which of the following statements do you think is correct? a. Functionality and comfort are more important than aesthetics b. Aesthetics are more important than functionality and comfort c. Aesthetics are very important and functionality and comfort does not matter d. Functionality and comfort are very important and aesthetics don't matter 11. Considering all the aspects of this survey, how would you rate the importance of street furniture in daily life?*Respondents asked to rate each on a scale of 1-5 from Not important- Very important* 12. Have you ever felt hesitant to use certain street furniture or public amenities?

13. If yes, can you specify the reason? a. Lack of hygiene b. Poor maintenance c. Uncomfortable d. Broken or partially destroyed e. Others please specify 14. Do you feel Indian streets are designed for pedestrians, such that it has all the required public amenities? (Yes)(No)(Others please specify)

Dept. of Architecture, School of planning and architecture, New Delhi