If you oversee the outdoor furnishing of a local subdivision, school, and the like, you want to ensure you take your time to choose the best street furniture for those outdoor areas. You may want your street furniture to look good as well as be durable and functional, so note a few features to consider when in the market for park benches, bike racks, and the like.

Leave space for advertising

Have you thought about having advertising space available on street furniture? Having local businesses put up their signs and other advertising can mean generating revenue for your school, homeowner's association, and the like. Space for advertising can mean inserts on benches, around trash cans, on the sides of bus stops and other such structures. You can work with an advertising firm to note how to price these types of spaces, but it's good to have them built into the furniture itself so you know they'll be visible and will attract advertisers easily.

Include shelter

It's always good to include shelter of some sort when you are choosing street furniture. You can often have a small shelter on the back of a park bench or even over a bike rack. This offers more comfort for pedestrians and also protects bikes from the elements. The more shelter you offer, the more likely your local residents will appreciate and use the street furniture.

Be careful of wood

Wood gives furniture a classic look and can make pieces seem homey and inviting, but it might also be the one material that requires the most maintenance. Wood needs to be repainted or given a new coat of stain after it's been exposed to the elements for a few months, and it may be prone to chipping, cracking, or breaking. If you're buying street furniture for a residential complex with maintenance staff who can take care of wood benches and other pieces, it might be a good choice; otherwise, be sure you're carefully considering its overall maintenance and care.

Should you go for comfort or not

Comfortable benches invite people to sit for a long time, so these are good for parks where parents are watching their children. However, you actually might not want people to loiter outside of businesses and in other such areas, so you might want to opt for benches with smaller seats and no backs. This allows people to rest their feet as they walk but won't encourage them to linger in areas where they may be a distraction from businesses.