혜연

during my first year of university, i liked to sit on park benches and eat takeout after a difficult exam. i would argue that people experiencing homelessness often use benches for similar purposes. however, because of the status i occupy as someone who is housed, i feel like there is exclusion within the city’s vision of who uses these public spaces, which leads to spatial and economic segregation. for example, the benches i used to enjoy takeout were replaced with concrete ones that had metal bars in the middle. this frustrated me because not only was there less space for me to sit and place my bag or food, but it also felt like the city had deliberately designed these benches to discourage rest and comfort.

i really think that benches are an underrated public amenity that generate significant social benefits. my friends and i used them to people-watch, read, and journal, which are all activities that contribute to the liveliness and enjoyment of the surrounding area, not just the physical space the bench itself occupies. we even had a shared google maps folder of our favorite benches and tables in local parks. but over time, we noticed that many of our bookmarked spaces had been renovated to enforce a political governance structure rather than promote social well-being. the shift in bench design shows the broader regulatory mindset in seattle, which dictates who can access space, when, and for what purpose. now, benches are treated strictly as places to sit, which feels like a narrow interpretation of public space, especially since, as the reading emphasizes, sidewalks themselves are not spatially limited to moving from point a to point b.