A short stay on the new bench

Original opinion extract, written for practice.

The new bench has been praised for keeping the square tidy. Its narrow seat tilts gently forward; the metal divisions make it impossible to settle into any position except a brief, upright apology for stopping. Apparently this is called encouraging movement. I thought the point of a bench was to permit the opposite. A parent waiting after school, a worker eating lunch and a person whose legs need rest do not become clutter because they remain visible. Of course public space must be maintained, and nobody has discovered an unlimited repair budget. But if every improvement makes staying less comfortable, perhaps we should admit that tidiness is being purchased by moving certain people elsewhere. A square can look perfectly ordered and offer a remarkably cold welcome.

Use your own words to evaluate the writer’s attitude to the design of public seating. Give details from the extract to justify your answer.