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VIDEO: Why do downtown benches sometimes face a brick wall?

A stroll through downtown got us thinking about views and the choices designers make when laying out public infrastructure

Have you ever sat down and realized the view from your downtown sidewalk bench is a brick wall, when there's a more appealing vista over your shoulder if only you could sit the other way around?

We have, and it turns out there are some good reasons why our downtown benches are set up the way they are. 

Peter Tonazzo, the city's director of planning, sat down with us (on a park bench) to explain.