Urban Furniture That Rocks

Web Urbanist has published a fun post featuring examples of unconventional urban furniture. If you're tired of the same old boring bus benches and park picnic tables, these interactive, comfortable, and visually interesting pieces should inspire you.

1 minute read

March 14, 2012, 7:00 AM PDT

By Jonathan Nettler @nettsj


Including such delightful examples as a rocking bench/planter called the "CHITCHAT", by Teun Fleskens, and a reclining sky gazing saucer called the "Skystation", by Peter Newman, "[t]hese 14 chairs, benches, loungers, tables and more often double as art objects, with designs that consider a wide range of needs."

We're particularly fond of the playful "Loop Bench" by Jeppe Hein, that looks like a mini roller coaster, and the elegant "Urban Adapter Bench," "a modern urban bench [that] considers the varying needs of different people who might use it. The designers, Rocker Lange, use a computer program that takes data about the intended site and creates a form that offers multiple seating solutions including a flat bench, a sloped area for lounging and a seat with a back."

Monday, March 12, 2012 in Web Urbanist

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

October 28, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

A car drives through a puddle, making a large splash. Rain pours down.

California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour

If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.

October 28, 2026 - Grist

Lake Powell with much of the water evaporated.

Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River

Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.

October 30, 2026 - Yale Environment 360

Mamdani behind a microphone, in front of a snowbank

Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax survives legal challenge

A panel of judges found that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate injury as a result of New York City's implementation of the tax.

5 hours ago - CNN

A road in north eastern Nebraska with power lines on either side, and grassy fields.

Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity

Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.

6 hours ago - Grist

People board a bus in Seattle.

Seattle passes record-breaking transit services expansion

Proposition 1 will double the city’s transit tax to add 95,000 more bus trips and preserve 180,000 bus trips annually.

7 hours ago - KOMO News

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.