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What do you see when you think of public green spaces? You may picture parks, trails, or easy places to sit and eat lunch under the shade of a tree. But what makes those public green spaces that tourists and locals love? Accessible and beautiful site furniture.
Site furniture is a broad term that usually refers to outdoor furniture – such as benches, trash cans, recycling bins, bike racks, and more – that makes green spaces more accessible for tourists and locals alike.
Today, we’ll explore various types of site furniture and how they create green spaces that tourists and locals love.
Benches, although they seem like a relatively simple piece of site furniture, are actually extremely beneficial to public green spaces. They provide a nice resting place for the public to sit back and relax in simplest terms while offering a safe, accessible place to rest while those with physical limitations enjoy public spaces. They also offer community engagement by creating a space where people can connect and chat during the night weather!
Let’s look at a few more key perks!
Long-Lasting, Eco-Friendly Materials: Benches can be made from sustainable or even recycled materials, reducing overall environmental impact. These materials can also last for years to come, meaning they won’t have to be regularly replaced, further reducing the need for waste.
Encouraging Sustainability: Benches are awesome places where people can sit back, relax, and enjoy nature – encouraging both tourists and the public to appreciate green spaces. Not only this, it encourages the public to opt for green-friendly forms of transportation, such as walking, jogging, or biking, as they know they’ll have a place to rest if they get tired.
Low Maintenance Options: Durable materials such as reinforced steel reduce the need for regular repairs and maintenance, which helps conserve city resources. The longer a bench can last, the greater likelihood the city is also able to get a good return on investment, which is a double-plus!
Inclusive Design: Luckily for you, benches come in varying designs that include armrests and varied heights in terms of seating, making it easier to accommodate seniors and individuals with physical limitations.
Strategic Placement: By ensuring benches are placed along accessible paths, you can make sure benches act as rest stops for EVERYONE. Make sure benches are unobscured and easy to access by being free of obstacles.
Universal Appeal: Benches can be crafted to fit various themes, from rainbow pride to a more classic look. This allows you to blend benches in with the environment around them.
Encouraging Rest: Wellness isn’t just about getting more exercise - it’s about getting proper rest, too. By providing refuge for tourists and locals alike, benches can encourage even the most active people to take a moment to rest. They also provide convenient respite for the elderly or those with physical limitations. Trails and walkways aren’t just for the able-bodied – they're also for people who need a little extra help along the way.
Community Connection: Benches are community hub spots that allow people to meet, socialize, and build a stronger sense of community with each other. The friendlier and more social a space feels, the more likely people are to gather and interact with the people around them!
Tourism Appeal: Having public green spaces dotted with well-placed benches encourages visitors to fully take advantage of the scenic views, encouraging much more active tourism. When a space is easy to walk, rest, and interact with the community, tourists are more likely to get outside and really make the most of the space.
Check out some of Classic Display’s bench models, such as our Riverside Bench, Urban Flare Bench, and Midtown Bench.
Trash cans and recycling bins aren’t just convenient places to deposit your waste. They’re essential pieces of site furniture that help keep communities clean and tidy, while also providing green solutions for getting rid of your recyclables.
Keeping the Community Clean: Designated trash cans and recycling bins can ensure the community is kept nice and tidy by providing a space to dispose of waste materials properly. This encourages the public to avoid littering, which can cause serious damage by polluting green spaces, waterways, and other natural habitats around the community. Utilizing proper waste management can keep parks, trails, and other open green spaces clean, which encourages the community to utilize them!
Ensuring Community Safety: It might sound silly, but litter can be dangerous to the community at large. Other than just damaging the environment, litter poses a risk to adults, children, and even animals alike! Excessive litter can pose a tripping hazard, while sharp glass or cans could pose a physical risk to children and pets. Some trash can even contain contaminants that, if ingested by a beloved pet, could be fatal.
Convenience for Visitors: Tourists coming from far away may not be super familiar with the best practices for disposing of waste, so having clearly labelled bins makes it much easier for newcomers to help keep the community clean.
Community Responsibility: Both visitors and locals alike can be encouraged to take care of the environment by having the proper bins dotted around the community. This provides everyone in the community to develop a feeling of pride and community spirit – which, in turn, inspires them to keep things clean!
Accessibility for All: By ensuring trash cans and recycling bins are placed strategically across the community, you can ensure that they're accessible to everyone - even those with mobility challenges. This helps to make green spaces much more inclusive and enjoyable for everyone, both locals and tourists.
See some of our options, such as Drummer Boy Container, Classic Waste System and Pheonix Waste Bin.
Nothing makes a greener community than an option where you don’t have to burn fuel! Having a safe place to lock your bike in enables the public, both local and tourists, to ride freely around the community and make stops at local businesses and parks. That safe place to lock in a bike means that riders can confidently explore the community without the concern that their ride could be stolen.
Commercial Infrastructure Accessibility: By creating safe cycling infrastructure, you can make communities and parking areas more accessible for those who don’t drive typical vehicles, by ensuring they have a safe place to store their bike.
Increased Community Security: Carefully placing bike racks in areas where cyclists won’t be at risk of being obscured or potentially hit by other vehicles makes the community safer as a whole. This goes for cyclists and drivers alike.
Improved Health for All: According to the Government of Canada, heart disease is the second leading cause of death in Canada. An essential way to reduce the risk of heart disease is to get exercise – and by increasing bike accessibility, you make it possible for the public to get active. Whether it’s going on a casual bike ride on a weekend or even taking a bike to work, cardiovascular exercise is proven to reduce the risk of heart disease.
Improved Mental Fortitude: According to the National Library of Medicine, physical activity is also beneficial to mental and emotional wellbeing. Having accessible trails with bike racks ensures locals and tourists can keep their minds happy and healthy by getting lots of exercise.
Reduced Traffic Congestion: By providing convenient options for the community to bike instead of drive, the city can reduce the amount of traffic congestion keeping people from getting from point A to point B. Biking is a great option for those who want a greener way to travel or simply want to get some extra exercise, and if it also means they don’t have to sit in traffic? Bonus!
Support for Local Businesses: Bike accessible cities and towns make it possible for everyone to safely and securely explore the community, including local businesses. Imagine someone biking downtown and riding past a beautiful-smelling bakery, and there’s a conveniently placed bike rack where they can store their ride and head inside. Not only do they get a tasty treat, but a local business makes a sale! Accessibility is truly for everybody.
See some of our versatile bike rack options: Hiker Bike Rack, Coil Bike Rack, and Axis Rack Rail System.
Green spaces can be anywhere in a city or town that you optimize for environmental impact. Whether it’s your local memorial park, trails, or even your downtown core – every part of a community can be made greener with the help of site furniture.
Classic Displays is well-known for our amazing Christmas decor, but we also make high-grade site furniture to help keep your community green and accessible. If any of our products have sparked interest in you today, don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
With more than 46 years of experience in the business, our team is well-equipped to handle your community’s needs.
When creating inclusive public spaces, accessibility must be at the top of mind. It's more important than ever to ensure everyone can access outdoor green spaces, as environmental sustainability and physical/mental health are important for people of all abilities. A part of making outdoor green spaces accessible is having reliable site furniture – including public benches.
But do your benches meet the standards set by the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) and other guidelines? If you're not sure, you should keep reading.
These guidelines are designed to address a diverse range of users, including people with mobility issues, seniors, and parents using strollers. You want everyone to feel they can interact with their community safely and accessibly, so if you're wondering if your benches meet the mark, you need to explore a few key requirements to make sure they're compliant.
The AODA was established in 2005 with the main goal of making Ontario a fully accessible province by the year 2025. The legislation outlines the guidelines for all public spaces, including seating, to make sure they're barrier-free for those who have physical limitations.
According to the AODA, there is a list of requirements for rest areas with benches/seats along accessible routes – detailing that there should be a bench or seat every thirty metres in a designated rest area. These standards also provide height ranges for benches/seats.
In areas with more than 1 seat, some should have backrests.
Other seats should have armrests.
Some seats should have both.
Surfaces below benches/seats need to be sturdy and level.
The nearby space also needs to be sturdy and level to support people's assistive devices, children's strollers, and service animals.
The nearby space needs to have a good colour contrast to be easily identifiable.
Furthermore, the national accessibility standards in both Canada and the US, such as the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), offer a clear framework for inclusive designs.
The main goal of these standards is to ensure environments where those with physical limitations can comfortably and safely navigate public spaces. When it comes to benches, what truly makes a thoughtful design includes elements such as seat height, armrests, backrests, and overall proximity to accessible pathways.
Now that we've gone over the AODA guidelines for accessibility, it's time to go a little deeper into what makes your bench disability accessible. This can help you make the right choice when choosing public benches for outdoor green spaces.
Appropriately accessible benches need to have a seat height that allows individuals with mobility devices or limited movement to sit and stand up comfortably and safely. Generally speaking, a height between 43.18 cm (17”) - 48.26 cm (19”) from the ground is recommended.
Listen - armrests aren't just a design choice. They're essential for many people who need support transitioning from sitting to standing positions. They're also excellent visual markers for individuals who have vision impairments.
Backrests, while a common design element of benches, have the added benefit of providing essential support for users – particularly, seniors and people with chronic conditions. For a bench to be accessible, they must have sturdy backrests at least 30.48 cm (12") above the seat base.
Benches need to be placed along accessible pathways and provide sufficient space for wheelchairs and mobility scooters to manoeuvre around safely. There must be about 91.44 cm (36") around the bench to allow for proper clearance.
You need to make sure that the materials in the bench's design are slip-resistant to ensure no unfortunate accidents occur. This is essential in outdoor settings where rain and snow can cause potentially dangerous conditions.
To make benches more visible, they need to have higher contrasting colours to make them easier for those with visual impairments to spot. This doesn't mean they need to be neon colours (although, you can do that if you like!), but for example: a light-coloured bench against a darker background can help users identify seating areas quickly. In contrast, a darker bench in a more open, bright area could be easier to see.
See our Accessible Riverside Bench as a good example of a compliant bench.
OK, we’ve given you a lot of information so far! We understand that these issues can be a little overwhelming, so why don’t we get back to the human element of this entire thing? Exploring why compliance truly matters: outside of the obvious of following regulations, compliance for accessible site furniture is important for the community at large. Making outdoor green spaces accessible ensures the health, happiness, and safety of everyone in your community, from the physically limited to the elderly, or even just parents pushing strollers. Let’s get further into why compliance truly matters:
Accessible benches create a welcoming space for everyone, not just the people who need them. When public spaces cater to a diverse set of needs, even people without disabilities or limitations can benefit from accessible site furniture. Accessibility allows everyone to interact with benches and site furniture safely and conveniently. This encourages a greater community connection and inclusivity.
Outside of the moral obligation, it is the law to follow AODA requirements. Being non-compliant in some circumstances could result in legal penalties and damage to your organization's reputation. Making sure that your public benches meet the requirements helps protect you and others.
Accessible benches, as we've mentioned, are easier for everyone to use. Not just people with disabilities, but also the elderly, pregnant women, and even parents with young kids. By including accessibility in your design, you improve usability for a larger community.
The population is ageing – meaning the demand for accessible infrastructure is going to only increase in the future. By investing in accessible benches and other site furniture, you're ensuring your public spaces remain relevant and functional in the future, putting you ahead of the curve!
Check out our Accessible Heritage Bench for more options!
You know the standards and best practices, as well as the reason why all of this is important… but what common mistakes happen when it comes to choosing a bench design and placement? These mistakes might be easier to make than you think, so let’s explore some potential pitfalls to avoid.
We understand that sometimes you want a sleek and sophisticated design. That’s why benches without armrests are sometimes quite desirable because they offer that modern look. However, a lack of armrests can be detrimental to those who need them to safely support themselves and transition from sitting to standing. So, if accessibility is your desire, you want to opt for something with armrests.
You need to avoid placing benches too close to walls or obstructed pathways, as it limits access for individuals with mobility devices. You also want to make sure the surrounding area is thoroughly cleaned and maintained, avoiding excessive litter and environmental debris (fallen branches, dead plants, rocks, and stones) is essential to ensuring the health and safety of the community.
You need to avoid placing benches on uneven ground or too far from accessible pathways, otherwise, they fail to serve their designed purpose – to be a rest spot for EVERYONE. You need to carefully consider and strategically place benches in areas that are safe and secure.
These days, benches are designed with recycled and durable materials designed to stand the test of time. Nonetheless, accessibility doesn't stop after you install the bench – you still need to keep an eye on it and make sure regular maintenance is conducted on the furniture and surrounding area.
Whew! That was a big one, thanks for sticking around and learning more about the importance of compliance with AODA when it comes to accessible benches. Before we conclude, let’s quickly go through a few tips to ensure your benches are compliant:
Conduct an Accessibility Audit: Assess your current benches and ensure they meet AODA and national accessibility standards and document areas of improvement.
Choose the Right Materials: Make sure you opt for durable and slip-resistant materials that perform well in the local climate. You can also consider sustainable options (such as benches made from recycled materials) for additional green benefits.
Partner with Accessible Suppliers: Classic Displays offers a variety of accessible options for all our site furniture. It’s important to collaborate with designers who specialize in providing accessible site furniture with additional options for customization.
At Classic Displays, we want to make sure everyone feels included. This is why we offer a range of accessible site furniture, from benches to trash and recycle bins, bike racks, and more. We work to create customized solutions to your site furniture needs, and can customize everything from armrests, backrests, material and the colour of your bench! With more than 46+ years of experience, you can trust we have your best interest at heart, and the best interest of your community.
Contact us today for more information about our accessible site furniture.
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