Thank you for your excellent question about park bench design. It touches on a key challenge in urban planning: creating welcoming public spaces that are also durable and serve their intended purpose.
Many modern public benches do incorporate subtle design features to discourage activities like skateboarding and indefinite loitering. The primary goal isn't to make seating uncomfortable for legitimate users like walkers, seniors, or parents with children, but to prevent damage and ensure benches are available for resting.
Common features you might notice include:
* Divided Seating: Individual seats with raised, solid armrests or planters in between prevent people from lying down across the bench.
* Angled or Contoured Surfaces: Some benches have a slight downward slope or a curved seat surface, making it difficult and unstable for skateboarders to grind on the edges.
* Strategic Material Choices: While wood is classic, durable metals or reinforced concrete are often used on critical edges that are targets for skateboarding tricks.
* Integrated Elements: Benches are sometimes designed as part of a larger fixed structure or have attached tables, naturally limiting how they can be used.
These are often termed "anti-homeless" or "hostile architecture" by critics, who argue they make public spaces less inclusive. As designers, we must balance municipal concerns about maintenance costs and vandalism with the fundamental right to public space. The ideal bench is robust, long-lasting, and comfortable for its intended use—a brief respite in the park—without being inviting for activities that can damage it or monopolize it for extended periods.
Ultimately, bench design is a reflection of broader community values and priorities regarding our shared urban environment.