Street furniture is a general term used to describe
elements such as benches, trash receptacles, telephones, newsstands,
planters, drinking fountains, lighting standards and the like. These
elements function to make the downtown a safe, more comfortable and
pleasant place to be and improve the quality of life for pedestrians,
shoppers and employees. Many of these elements may seem too insignificant
to be important on their own. Collectively, however, they all too often
offer a confusing array of images to motorists and pedestrians. If,
in their
design and placement, these elements are viewed as
components in a coordinated system, they can become visual assets and
an essential part of the total downtown. Street furniture that has a
unity of appearance will also enhance the integrity of the downtown
area.
Guidelines:
- Street furniture should be integrated into the
overall design for the downtown, including any new developments. Its
selection and design should be coordinated with the paving and buildings.
- Street furniture should be positioned so that it
does not impede or interrupt pedestrian or vehicular traffic.
- Whenever possible, various street ellements should
be clustered to eliminate visual clutter.
- The design of outdoor seating, its construction,
materials and finishes, should reflect basic human factors as well as
concerns for maintenance and durability. Avoid materials which are rapid
conductors of heat or cold. Whenever possible, outdoor seating should
be screened somewhat from automobile traffic and positioned to cater
both to those who like the sun and to those who prefer shade.
- Public telephones should be accessible to the physically
handicapped.
- While permanent street trees and other plantings
are the most desirable form of landscape improvements downtown, self-contained
planters may be used to emphasize storefront entries, define sidewalk
edges, or to separate pedestrians from traffic. Such planters should
be visually integrated with the surrounding environment.
- Drinking fountains should be designed to avoid
creation of mud puddles. Nozzle heights should accommodate children
and adults and conform to the requirements of the Illinois Accessibility
Code.
- Bollards can be used to separate pedestrians from
vehicles where visual continuity is important. The design of such bollards
should be in keeping with the overall street furniture design for downtown.
- The poles, or standards, used to support lights,
signs and signals should be unobtrusive as possible.
- Temporary stands used for special events should
be constructed to ensure safety and visual compatibility as well as
to be functional.
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