Takeshi,
I've been invited to give feedback to all Parsons students, regarding your thesis projects.
Your idea is super-creative, and I like how it combines furniture design with urban renewal. Be sure to give a clear problem statement and solution, however, as right now the project description is lacking this. You write about "the desire to have mini-gardens and parks" along city streets, but you do not express where this desire is coming from. Additionally, who will make this happen? CENYC? Or would you maybe work with one neighborhood at a time and city council to collaboratively raise funds and create urban garden furniture together? Could this also be placed in areas where public furniture is already, such as bus shelters and along the water, where running and biking paths live?
Be sure to get quantitative with your claims about protecting trees from traffic (I've never heard of this before) and attempts to reduce carbon footprints. Also, maybe suggest some prototyping ideas and even get out there and make something with your own hands and watch how passers-by take notice of it and use it (or not). It would make for a very interesting user-centered research video!
Great idea. Just beef up the data and make the overall story more clear. Thanks! J.
