Through touch, people perceive, interact with, and navigate their world. In urban spaces, the built environment mediates tactile experiences, defining the ways in which people engage with each other and their surroundings. Despite this, touch as a spatial experience for one or more people is often overlooked in urban design. Specifically, seating plays a critical role in public spaces by offering varied spatial experiences for individuals, as well as small and large groups. The ways in which seating is designed and planned shapes interactions and experiences, thus adding to the life of public spaces (Whyte).
In this essay, we explore ‘touch’ through uniquely designed seating called ‘Commas’; comma-shaped elements of double-curved design with inner and outer curves. We used a Post Occupancy Evaluation (POE) to study the use of these Commas through Gibson’s theory of affordances, where affordances refer to the opportunities for action that this seating provides its users (Gibson 127). Using covert observations, we discovered that the curves of the Commas have a multiplicity of affordances embedded within them, which facilitate, inhibit, and regulate touch. Through the Commas, touch is explored in two ways: (1) the personal space afforded for one; and (2) the social space afforded for two or more users.
The Commas are at Vilas Javdekar Happiness Street (VJHS) – a commercial landscape that is adjacent to the main road, which functions as a public-access urban plaza in Hinjewadi, Pune (see fig. 1). VJHS is divided into five plazas which collectively house a co-living residential building, eateries, retail stores, service providers, a multiplex, parking, and an outdoor seating area. The plaza is 9-10 kilometers from the main Wakad road, and it is close to the Mumbai-Bangalore highway. The neighbourhood is furnished with amenities such as Ryan International Academy, Little Big World School, Jupiter Hospital, Hinjewadi Police Station, a Hanuman Temple, a PMT bus stop, and local pharmaceuticals to name a few. This essay focuses on plaza one, titled Left Hand Side (LHS), which is home to the Commas.
Fig. 1. Commas at VJ Happiness Street
The design concept for this plaza called for an urban space where people could come, gather, and rest during their busy lives. At ‘GRIT: environmental design + research studio’, we were inspired to translate the visual identity of the client, ‘Vilas Javdekar Developers’, into a tangible experience: ‘an urban landscape that allows users to pause’. Accordingly, we derived the shape of the seating elements, the motif of a ‘comma’, from the letter ‘J’ of the client’s logo (see fig. 2). We represented this symbol of a ‘comma’ as a ‘pause’ in the plaza through its uniquely designed seating (see fig. 1). These seating elements are comma-shaped, double-curved with inner and outer curves (see fig. 3), and red in appearance – a colour we chose to mimic the client’s brand colour.
Fig. 2. Design Evolution of the Comma
Fig. 3. The Inner and Outer Curves
Comma with One
Unlike linear seating, such as a straight bench that lacks curvilinear spatial depth, variability in shape, and flexibility of use, the double-curved design of the Commas offers seating experiences that facilitate touch for a single user. For example, when a person sits within the inner curve of a Comma, whether they face the eateries or the main road, they experience the physical structure wrapped around them, which forms a tactile boundary, and creates some leg space through a niche (see fig. 4). This niche is shaped by two inner curves that converge at a single point, and form a deep, curved, and narrowing V-shape that introduces variation in width (see fig. 5). This variability in width of the niche modulates the intensity of touch, affording users a degree of agency over it. In a sense, when one wants to feel wrapped in, they may choose to sit deeper into the niche and tuck their legs in, thus creating an opportunity for touch.
Fig. 4. One at the Inner Curve
Fig. 5. Niche at the Inner Curve
A physical interaction with the niche of the inner curve appears to shape a person’s feelings and vice versa. This is because the niche affords a cocoon-like sensation for the lower body of an individual; enveloping them in such a way that they feel covered, cozy, and gently held. This layered experience of touch evokes a sense of comfort and security, like a weighted blanket, where the physical sensation of being in contact with and bound to a structure, in this context the Comma, is what is of importance. For example, a working professional who resides at the co-living residential building, away from home, may sit deep into the niche and experience a moment of grounding and reassurance through touch.
This need for touch is perhaps better understood through the behaviour of the Indie dogs at VJHS. These free-ranging dogs don’t have a permanent home, and so they frequent the plaza in search of food and shelter, often using the Commas for the latter. We observed that when they arrived in search of a place to sleep in, they chose a space that made them feel sheltered, such as the niche of a Comma. Interestingly, we noticed that the Indie dogs used both sides of the curves for shelter – the outer and inner curves (see fig. 6), with their backs touching the seating element. This suggests that dogs instinctively seek tactile contact, or good touch, when they are asleep or resting. This is because when in a vulnerable state, touch minimizes vulnerability to external threats, and mimics the warmth of a pack (Horowitz 112). This behaviour, again, affords feelings of comfort and security – just like in humans – highlighting how both species benefit from touching the Commas.
Fig. 6. Indie Dog at the Inner Curve
Indie dogs are a vulnerable group who have historically suffered under the power dynamics of a human-dominated world. As free-ranging animals, they face constant threats of violence and displacement, often enforced through bad touch, i.e., being struck, pushed, dragged, or kicked. These forms of touch not only violate their right to live freely but also shape their interactions with urban environments. Therefore, while touch can offer comfort and security, it can also be a source of fear and pain. As a result, the dogs at VJHS find protection from bad touch with the help of the Commas. The niche created by the inner curve affords dogs a private refuge, keeping them somewhat physically out of sight and reach, thus shielding them from the ‘hustle and bustle’ of the pedestrian pathway. This refuge of the inner curve reduces the dogs’ likelihood of interacting with human activity, thereby protecting them from the constant negative interaction they may face in the form of shooing, i.e., fearful touch. Effectively, in a public-access urban space like VJHS, the Commas facilitate a negotiation of touch, allowing Indie dogs to rest against one curve, while humans occupy the other curve, theoretically affording both a harmonious co-existence (see fig. 7).
Fig. 7. Co-existence of Human and Dog
Center of the Comma
Another affordance of the Commas can be understood through the theory of the Human Bubble, also known as the study of Proxemics (Hall 113-114). According to Hall, the way a person uses a space – in this context, the Commas – serves as a form of communication, particularly in signalling boundaries with regard to personal space, i.e., touch (113-114). An individual who sits at the center of a Comma on their own signals a desire to be in control of the touch they experience from others, either by seeking or avoiding it. With regard to the former, it allows space for several others to sit on the same Comma, making touch very likely (see fig. 8). However, it also provides visibility of others and access to the rest of the seat, giving one the power to regulate entry and exit, and thus touch.
Fig. 8. Central Seating Positions at Commas
In terms of avoiding touch, this seating position causes most of the comma to fall under Hall’s ‘intimate space’, where proximity is a limiting factor (see fig. 9). This means that the act of sitting in the center itself functions as a barrier to touch from strangers by reducing the possibilities of sharing the Comma without being deemed as intrusive. A key phenomenon that typically encourages people to respect these boundaries is the Social Desirability Effect – where people prefer to present themselves to the world in such a way that makes them appear favourable to most (Edwards). Further, when a person sits deep into the niche, it creates a semi-enclosed space that visually reinforces the human bubble as a boundary (see fig. 10). Sitting away from the niche makes this boundary appear more permeable, as the human bubble is less clearly defined, sending signals that one is okay with strangers coming close and sharing the Comma with them.
Fig. 9. Bubbles of Central Seating Positions
Fig. 10. Bubble of One at the Inner Curve*
*Please note that this diagram has not been adapted to the Indian context due to a lack of standardized measurements.
Comma with Two
Following the perspective of Hall, when two people use the inner curve of a Comma, they are both seated within the threshold of each other’s ‘intimate space’ (see fig. 11). This space is generally reserved for close relationships, i.e., people who share a high level of trust and familiarity, as touch at this proxemic zone is not only expected, but it is unavoidable (Hall). Moreover, the shape of the Comma – double-curved with a narrowing niche – enhances this physical intimacy by bringing people together and affording touch. This is unlike a bench, where physical contact between two people can be avoided, as long as they are the only ones sitting there. When two people sit within the inner curve, it affords face-to-face body orientation, direct eye contact, and physical contact of the limbs (see fig. 12). The ease of continuous physical contact – a brush of the arms, knee contact, or leaning in – allows loved ones to become each other’s primary source of touch, reinforcing emotional closeness through physical contact.
Fig. 11. Bubbles of Two at the Inner Curve*
*Please note that this diagram has not been adapted to the Indian context due to a lack of standardized measurements.
Fig. 12. Two at the Inner Curve
Living in a conservative society like India means that touch is often misunderstood or vilified, resulting in a lack of safe spaces to show love through physical contact. Public displays of affection, i.e., touch, particularly between two people hinting at a romantic relationship, are looked down on. This reinforces the age-old cultural norm of subjecting intimacy to closed doors. The inner curve of the Comma offers a publicly accessible space for intimacy that is culturally “acceptable”. Acceptable in the sense that it affords physical contact while maintaining a degree of privacy. This is relevant even in the urban areas of India, as couples frequently look for hidden spaces in public for touch (Mehta). This has to do with conservative ideals that families may have, in which physical contact even within private spaces, like one’s home, is not permitted. As described earlier, the Commas navigate touch for couples through the comma-shaped and double-curved design of the seating.
Another affordance of the Comma with regard to touch, is that it not only allows for somewhat covert physical contact, but it also affords variability in the level of touch between two people. When we observed how two people use the outer curve of a Comma, we noticed that different levels of touch can be achieved, ranging from connection to separation. The shape of the outer curve is such that it doesn’t inherently bring people together, instead it offers users more control over proximity, and thus a choice regarding physical contact. With regard to body orientation and eye contact, it provides one the opportunity to face either the main road or the eateries with their companion. This means that two people can sit next to each other, in a side-by-side fashion, and have a somewhat intimate experience (see fig. 13). Interestingly, the same two people can also have a segregated experience on the outer curve of a Comma (see fig. 14). This is more detached than sitting alongside someone with distance on a bench because here, two people can be almost completely out of one another’s sight and reach.
Fig. 13. Intimacy at the Outer Curve
Fig. 14. Segregation at the Outer Curve
This affordance may be especially useful for women, when considered as an oppressed group in a patriarchal society. While growing up, women are often taught not to speak up, and to endure the violence or injustice that occurs to them and the women around them in silence. The variability of touch experiences in the Commas, through the affordances of the inner and outer curves, can empower women in public spaces by offering them a choice of where to sit. This means, with seating elements like the Commas, a woman has agency of where to sit while maintaining her personal bubble amongst strangers in an urban space. Simply put, the outer curve allows one to move away from strangers who may seem to have the intention of harm through unwelcome touch, in a subtle manner. This is not to say that women should approach such situations with subtlety but that some may find it difficult to stand up for themselves; so, such design interventions in the form of curved seating elements allow vulnerable groups to feel safe by empowering them with agency in the way they use a public-access space.
Way Forward
To summarize, this essay explores ‘touch’ through a uniquely designed seating element called ‘Comma’. What makes the Commas, or comma-shaped seating elements with a double-curved design, special is that they have multiple affordances embedded within them, making them responsive to the needs and wants of varied user groups including animals. Further, this essay touches upon subjects related to the good and bad touch of animals in a public-access space, ways in which user groups can navigate touch by signalling personal boundaries, and sparks a conversation about women’s agency in public spaces.
Moving forward, it is imperative that physical elements such as seating in public or public-access spaces are viewed not only from a functional aspect but also address the larger implications of touch through the lens of affordances and the human bubble. The issues addressed here are related to emotion regulation, co-existence with animals, boundary signalling, regulation of touch, “acceptable” intimacy, and the safety of vulnerable groups.
In conclusion, this essay outlines the benefits of this unique seating design that invites life that is often overlooked in mainstream urban design conversations, such as people seeking retreat from the everyday hustle, Indie or free-ranging dogs, people wanting to enjoy their ‘me-time’, couples who desire intimacy, and women. While the ‘Commas’ are currently unique to a public-access urban plaza called Vilas Javdekar Happiness Street (VJHS) in Pune, our observations suggest that public spaces in urban cities would benefit from similarly designed seating with curves that afford both – a personal and social space for touch.
Works Cited
Edwards, Allen L. The Social Desirability Variable in Personality Assessment and Research. Dryden Press, 1957.
Gibson, James J. The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception. Houghton Mifflin, 1979.
Hall, Edward T. The Hidden Dimension. Anchor Books, 1966.
Horowitz, Alexandra. Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know. Scribner, 2009.
Mehta, Vikas. The Street: A Quintessential Social Public Space. Routledge, 2013.
Whyte, William H. The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces. Project for Public Spaces, 1980.
1 Comment
Jyoti Kiran Pisipati
The essay is a fascinating observation and interpretation of ‘touch’ in urban spaces. Really enjoyed reading it and understanding the idea that a simple seating design can be so socially accommodative! Thanks to Hakara for publishing such a powerful essay and the contributors Sruthi and Deeksha for sharing their ideas.