The "Standification" of NYC

So I decided to head out to the Museum of Modern Art to see what I images I could find, and the first place I wandered into was the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Here’s the main ticketing area, and what immediately struck me was the complete and utter lack of seating available. There isn’t one single place to sit down, and it got me thinking about how our public spaces have been systematically stripped of places to sit and, by extension, linger – something I’ve decided to call “standification.”

And it’s happening everywhere. You might think, “Sure, they can’t have seating at the Port Authority, because then the homeless will move in.” Here’s the lobby of the New York Times building, which opened not too many years ago. Notice anything? The woman on the left is leaning up against one of the columns, because there isn’t anywhere to sit down. Perhaps she’s waiting for someone to come down to meet her for lunch. She’s tired – what else is she supposed to do?

On to Rockefeller Center. Anyone who’s ever worked in this part of Midtown knows that outdoor seating is at a premium, and people will sit just about anywhere they can. The people on the right side of the photo don’t have it too bad, as the height of the ledge surrounding the fountain is at a reasonable height. But as your eye moves left, you can see that the seating height gets lower and lower, which increases discomfort. And where’s the shade? If this were a 100-degree day in late July, it would be positively brutal.

Nearby are some built-in benches, one of the few areas in this part of Midtown where there is quasi-comfortable seating. But notice the metal dividers, which are simply screwed into the seat of the bench as if an afterthought (which they probably were). Not only would they make lying down uncomfortable, but they are spaced in such a way where fewer people are going to be able to sit down than if the dividers weren’t there. This is problematic in an area of the city where outdoor seating is at a premium.

Inside MoMA, I finally found somewhere to sit down. You might question why such a deep bench is necessary – and it probably isn’t – but then the gentleman lying on his back and apparently asleep wouldn’t have somewhere to nap. Part of me wants to believe that MoMA understands there isn’t anywhere to sit down outside of its doors and is offering up these benches to weary tourists and natives alike. Then again: if you’re paying $20 to get inside (unless you’re an FIT student, of course, who gets in for free), then the least they should offer you is a comfortable place to sit down.

 

But! Out in the sculpture garden, I noticed an odd thing: even though there were actual seats available in both the sun and shade (I went and looked to be sure), several people were voluntarily sitting on the steps (as you can see in the foreground). And I think it’s because we’ve been so conditioned to not having anywhere to sit down that people are willing to sit on steps – which are generally quite filthy things – because often it’s the only place available even resembling a seat. 

And speaking of seats, who wouldn’t want to sit here?

And speaking of standing: “How you know you are tall in a country.”


That is the caption my friend Susan put on this picture which she recently posted to Facebook. She’s currently in Mozambique, and I thought this was a near-perfect illustration of how something quite simple – like the placement of a mirror – can make you feel out of place. Oh, and Susan is probably something like 5’8”.