I think I’ll start a new series called “Explain that to me.”
On most blocks, and in most neighborhoods, and in most cities, there are no public places to sit outside and have community. Places that are either not privately owned, or not serving some other purpose like a street or sidewalk. Explain that to me. How does that honor the integrity of what humans need?
I wrote this sitting on the ground, on a concrete sidewalk.
Posted in community, Explain that to me, Honor Integrity
Tagged cities, Urban design
This shelf to hold your drink is in the restroom of a newly remodeled Starbucks in California I went to recently. It recognizes that you are likely to have a drink in your hand when you enter the restroom. It helps you out and makes Starbucks look smart.
This is a nice example of the Core Idea of proximity thinking, as well as a few ProxPatterns.
The Core Idea states that: In a situation, change elements, relationships and the proximity to better relate to each other. Starbucks added the element of the shelf to the proximity of the restroom. This helps other elements in the proximity, such as people and coffee cups, better relate to the restroom. It helps people better relate to elements like the toilet, sink and hand dryer. It keeps the coffee cup safer, cleaner, and easily reachable. Coat hooks perform a similar improvement for restrooms. Both get unneeded things out of the way temporarily.
You also might come to an idea like the restroom coffee shelf via ProxPatterns. You might, with ProxAwareness, notice there is no good place to put your coffee when you enter the restroom after you yourself get a cup. You might think, I wonder if something could be done about this (Value of Some). There might be other things people want to put down temporarily (Relate a Variety), so the shelf should be wider than just a cup. You might also use the transition smoothly ProxPattern, by placing the shelf next to the side of the door which opens, so people will see it right away.
It’s both kind of an odd lesson, and obvious from the basics of ProxThink, but you probably need to be in a state of some difference and tension with pretty much everyone you meet. The word some here is important.
For more about differences in relationships, read the paragraph titled “Differences” on this advanced page about relationships.
For more about the importance of some, in contrast to none or all, see the Value of Some.
