May 2nd, 2016: Street Furniture

[xoxoxoBruce]

There are people who think is a great Idea. I do not.

Streets are not just for moving, but also for living. Street furniture makes living more comfortable but can take up a lot of space.
Artists Carmela Bogman and Rogier Martens solved this problem with Pop-up, street furniture that people pump up and down
as required. The first unit was just installed in Utrecht in the Netherlands.

No, I don't want to sit, eat, drink, or hang out, on a filthy piece of sidewalk(pavement for Brits) just because it's pumped up.

POP-UP' is a street furniture that can be pumped out of the pavement by the inhabitants. After use it can be pumped back and it
will disappear into the pavement. This means that the inhabitants have the freedom to decide for themselves, when they want to
use the Pop-Up and in which way.

By using several sheets that can be fixed at any height, the choice is up to you whether you want to create a bench, a stage
or a lounge area. The possibilities are endless. The Pop-Up blurs the boundaries between public and private. After using the
Pop-Up it is pumped back into the pavement creating a peaceful street scene without any obstacles. But if you feel like using
the Pop-up, all the ingredients are right there on the street.

Don't blur the boundaries, that only causes disputes. Where does rain and pee go?
Not only the cleanliness factor, apparently this is hydraulic or pneumatic, although I don't understand "pump down". Either one opens
a whole can of worms. Any trash thrown or blown under a raised section will keep it from returning to flush making a tripping hazard.
Who is liable for trips or pinched fingers/toes? It doesn't look cheap, especially the installation.
Nope, bad idea.
link

[Snakeadelic]

What I'm seeing in the in-use photos is that is one CLEAN street to start with. In parts of Europe public cleanliness and respect for shared space are much more traditional than here in the US or in other parts of Europe. Maybe they have public employees who actually keep things clean? Much of Europe is occupied by societies going much further back in history than Americans can understand, what with less than 300 years under our society's proverbial belt.

This would absolutely NOT work here in the US; within 24 hours it'd be painted over in cartoon body parts and have anything accessible swiped out of the controls to be checked for resale value...

[Diaphone Jim]

"Pinched toes?" The guy in the brown coat is just a flip of the switch by the kids from a below-the-knee leg amputation.
You're right in that tire rubber coated diamond plate makes for crummy seating and leaning-on.
This pic reminds me of am IOTD from several years ago where the sidewalk furniture was chained down like Gulliver.

[Diaphone Jim]

I meant above-the-knee.