Smart Street Furniture: User and Non-User Perspectives of the ChillOUT Hub

Nancy Marshall (), Kate Bishop, Homa Rahmat, Susan Thompson and Christine Steinmetz-Weiss
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Nancy Marshall: Sydney School of Architecture, Design and Planning, The University of Sydney, Sydney 2006, Australia
Kate Bishop: School of Built Environment, Faculty of Arts Design & Architecture, UNSW, Sydney 2052, Australia
Homa Rahmat: School of Built Environment, Faculty of Arts Design & Architecture, UNSW, Sydney 2052, Australia
Susan Thompson: City Futures Research Centre, Faculty of Arts Design & Architecture, UNSW, Sydney 2052, Australia
Christine Steinmetz-Weiss: School of Built Environment, Faculty of Arts Design & Architecture, UNSW, Sydney 2052, Australia

Land, 2024, vol. 13, issue 12, 1-15

Abstract: This article addresses gaps in knowledge about whether or not smart street furniture could enhance the relationship between people and place, and whether it improves the design, amenity and management of public open space. An Australian design team, comprising a local council, a street furniture manufacturer, and academics, designed, built, piloted, and assessed a new piece of smart street furniture called a ‘ChillOUT Hub’. This Hub is an integrated street furniture system, designed for public open spaces. It is enabled with ‘smart’ technology features such as Wi-Fi, mobile device charging stations, plus infrastructure usage and environmental sensors. The Hub aims to support social health, improve microclimatic conditions, and provide equitable access to technology. Street survey processes were undertaken with both ‘users’ and ‘non-users’ of the Hubs. The findings help to identify what value digitally enhanced street furniture actually has in open space and how that value is perceived by the public. The Council and Hub users overwhelmingly appreciated the newly designed street furniture and its smart amenities. Non-users clarified why they did not use smart street furniture and discussed the option of having digital amenities in public spaces more generally.

Keywords: smart street furniture; place; smart cities; public space design; public realm; ChillOUT Hub (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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