New Soofa Bench Placed at Columbia Heights Civic Plaza
(Soofa Bench on the Columbia Heights Civic Plaza)
If you have been on the Columbia Heights Civic Plaza in the last week, you may have noticed that DPR has placed a new Soofa bench in the center of the space. While the bench is kind of cool, the placement of the bench and the overall lack of a community process leading to its installation leave a lot to be desired. The bench is right in the middle of the plaza, where it will disrupt pedestrian movement through the plaza, particularly during the farmers market days and other public events.
But in looking at the bench itself, it is a good idea that I hope we’ll start to see in locations better suited to its design and service. The Soofa Bench is a solar-powered bench that charges phones and monitors its environment. I could see these benches being really useful in spaces like the 11th and Park Road dog park and at many of our parks and playgrounds.
Explore posts in the same categories: Public space, Random ObservationsTags: Columbia Heights, Columbia Heights Civic Plaza, DPR
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Park View, D.C. 
October 18, 2016 at 9:58 am
This is a cutesy but dumb idea. First, it’ll get broken in no time (ever see those chargers in the airport after a while? Wrecked, and they’re not exposed to the elements! Second, if you need to charge a phone, why not pop in to any of the many little restaurants around there, buy something small, and charge your phone. Third, I love that the “promo” video actually shows someone sleeping on the bench. Not the sort of thing we want to promote.
I hope dearly that no taxpayer money was spent on this thing.
Oh yeah, and the placement is not very smart.
October 18, 2016 at 9:58 am
Already has trash on it. Just another place for the drunk latinos to hang out on. This is a bad idea to encourage loitering in an area that already has way too much
October 18, 2016 at 1:00 pm
With all the homeless that hang out here and sleep, and with all the shelters nearby, and with the food truck that comes up to feed them, this is a good solution to help keep them in the area all day long everyday.
October 18, 2016 at 3:35 pm
Thank you, Brianne Nadeau. Saving the world one Soofa at a time. She is a kool-aid drinker who doesn’t understand how to achieve real world solutions.
October 19, 2016 at 11:12 am
Was Nadaeu actually behind this or are you making assumptions?
October 19, 2016 at 11:45 am
What does “monitors its environment” mean?
October 20, 2016 at 2:29 pm
At least your electronic devices will be charged for the criminals that steam them.
October 20, 2016 at 2:29 pm
*steal