Take a seat!
Take a Seat! brings free public seating to Bratislava – red tables and chairs that enliven and cultivate spaces with a lack of seating. Move your chair into the shade if it's a hot day, or into the sun if it's a cool morning.
This variability also makes it possible to respond to the hygienic criteria in the context of the corona pandemic – sit down (with your loved ones with whom you share a household) away from other groups of people.
Take a Seat! will allow people to disperse to different public spaces – we will be refining several deserted corners of Bratislava and at the same time, in popular public spaces, we will allow people to be “outdoors” and away from the others at the same time.
What kind of city do we want?
An attractive city is a place of experience and diversity. Quality public space is the city’s foundation
not only to make better use of the city but also to bring its inhabitants together. It can become a living room, a playground, a relaxation area, a concert hall and a place for social life. In 2020, we expanded the project Take a Seat! to include deck chairs, which enhance the city’s recreational areas.
Closer to Home: Local Libraries, Leisure Centres, Parks and Public Spaces in Housing Estates
Even outside the city centre, the importance of public space is our priority. Therefore, we want to extend the project to the city districts, where we will first approach local libraries and cultural organizations (leisure centres, galleries, etc.) followed by identifying spaces for local partners (preferably non-commercial, but allowing commercial local partners – cafes, ice cream parlours, small stores).
Greater Spacing – Lower Risk of Infection. Where Will Take a Seat! Be In 2021?
Criteria for site selection
- Increase seating capacity and dispersion within popular public spaces – the addition of benches will increase the possible spacing between groups of people
- It will bring attention to “other” public spaces – undiscovered corners of the historic city and housing estates. It will promote leisure opportunities in new locations and disperse people over a larger area in the city.
- It will make relaxation areas more pleasant – we have expanded the public seating to include textile loungers to make relaxing in the park or by the water more enjoyable.
We choose locations for Take a Seat! street furniture according to the two categories mentioned above, and according to answers to the question: how could free seating to improve the time spent in this place for people who are already there? Alternatively – can free seating at this location attract people to spend their time here?
An important factor for the success of Take a Seat! is also a great local partner who takes care of the chairs. We are looking for a local partner in Take a Seat! locations where no municipal institution is located. Where we can find a partner, we will apply for permits from the relevant authorities and, once they are approved, we will set up the red tables and chairs.
Who Can Become a Local Partner? What Are the Responsibilities?
As local partners, we prefer non-commercial establishments (galleries, libraries, institutions), but in places, without a non-commercial partner, we are also happy to agree with a commercial establishment (cafes, restaurants, shops). The Street Furniture Loan Agreement imposes the following obligations on the local partner:
- Daily care and supervision – morning unloading of street furniture into the public space and evening packing into safe storage
- Cleaning and disinfection – regular maintenance of cleanliness and disinfection of surfaces to ensure hygienic seating conditions, according to the guidelines of the senior health official
- Inclusivity – seating must be accessible to all – it is not conditional on the purchase of goods or services, it is located in an accessible and safe place
- Informing people on the alcohol ban at Take a Seat! property
1. Phase: return to successful 2019 and 2020 sites, expanding to popular public spaces with a lack of seating
| Primaciálne námestie |
| 2. dvor Primac. paláca – Nepomuk |
| Kapucínska |
| Hummelov dvor |
| Námestie SNP |
| Treskoňova Kunshalle |
| Kamenné námestie |
| Námestie republiky Petržalka |
| Obchodná |
| Knižnica Petržalka |
| Včelia lúka Pekná Cesta |
| námestie Vajnory |
| Partizánska lúka |
| bufet Slza na Železnej |
| Park pod lipami |
| dvor Panská |
| dvor Mirbachov palác |
| Komenského |
| Námestie Ľ. Štúra |
| Stará Radnica |
| Apponiyho palác |
| gerulata |
