# Bench Buddy: Rate Your Favorite Sitting Spots ## The Problem Public seating is invisible infrastructure until you desperately need it. Seniors with mobility challenges, parents carrying tired toddlers, disabled folks managing energy, and anyone with chronic pain or fatigue face a constant calculation: can I make it to where I'm going, and will there be somewhere to rest? Cities track fire hydrants and parking meters but not benches — leaving the people who need them most to discover through exhaustion which routes have resting spots and which don't. ## Who Uses It **Martha, 72, recovering from hip replacement** — She wants to walk to the farmer's market but needs to know she can sit every few blocks. She's memorized two routes but avoids new areas because she doesn't know where the benches are. **Devon, 34, dad of a 4-year-old** — His kid has about 20 minutes of walking stamina. He needs to know which playgrounds have shaded seating nearby, and which bus stops have actual benches versus just signs. **Aisha, 28, has fibromyalgia** — Her energy is unpredictable. She might be fine, or she might suddenly need to sit. She avoids downtown because the benches she knows are always taken by people eating lunch. **James, 68, community advocate** — He wants to petition the city to add benches in his neighborhood's "bench deserts" but needs data to make the case. **City Parks Department intern** — They've been asked to assess public seating but have no baseline data. They'd love a community-sourced inventory to start from. ## Core Features 1. **Add a Bench** — Anyone can log a bench by dropping a pin on a map, uploading a photo, and noting location details (park name, street corner, bus stop number, or "behind the library"). No account required for submissions; benches enter a "community review" state until verified by a second person. 2. **Rate What Matters** — Rate benches on the criteria that actually affect usability: shade availability (full sun / partial / shaded), backrest quality (none / low / supportive), seat material (metal / wood / concrete / plastic), typical availability (usually empty / hit-or-miss / good luck), noise level (peaceful / moderate / noisy), and proximity to bathrooms (within 2 min walk / 5 min / none nearby). 3. **"I'm Here Now" Check-ins** — Users can tap "bench is available" or "bench is taken" to provide real-time availability hints. Check-ins decay after 30 minutes. Over time, this builds patterns: "This bench is usually available mornings, crowded at lunch." 4. **Route Planning Mode** — Enter a start and end point; see all benches along possible routes. Filter by minimum requirements ("must have backrest," "must have shade"). The app highlights "bench deserts" — stretches longer than 0.25 miles without seating. 5. **Bench Wishlist Petitions** — Users can drop a pin where a bench *should* exist and others can upvote. High-vote locations become community priorities. The app surfaces relevant city officials from WellSpr.ing data for potential outreach. 6. **Accessibility Notes** — Free-text field for details that don't fit categories: "bench is on a slope," "armrests make it hard for larger folks," "great for wheelchairs — flat approach," "pigeons have claimed this one." Community flags for outdated info. 7. **Neighborhood Bench Reports** — Monthly auto-generated summary per area: total benches logged, new additions, most-loved benches, identified gaps. Shareable format for community meetings or city council presentations. ## WellSpr.ing Integration Points **MCP Server (POST https://wellspr.ing/mcp, JSON-RPC 2.0):** - **`get_city_services`** — When a user creates a bench wishlist petition, query city services to find relevant departments (Parks, Public Works, Accessibility Office) that might handle bench installation requests. - **`search_civic_services`** — Help users find related resources: public restrooms near benches, cooling centers in summer, senior services that might coordinate bench-side meetups. - **`get_civic_ideas`** — Surface existing community ideas related to public space, walkability, or accessibility. If someone has already proposed better seating in a specific area, connect efforts rather than duplicate. - **`ask_ody`** — Power a "Ask about benches" feature where users can ask natural language questions like "Where can I sit in the shade near the post office?" or "What neighborhood has the most benches?" Ody can synthesize bench data with local context. - **`get_businesses`** — When showing benches, surface nearby businesses that might offer rest (cafes with seating, libraries, community centers). Helps complete the "places to rest" picture beyond just benches. **REST Endpoints:** - **`GET /api/officials`** — When generating bench wishlist petitions, pull relevant local officials (city council members, parks commissioners) so users can easily direct their requests to the right people. - **`GET /api/geo/portals?area_code=NNN`** — Use geographic data to organize benches by neighborhood, enable neighborhood-level reports, and support federation with adjacent areas' bench data. **WCIB Integration:** - **`POST /api/wcib/ody-ask`** — Allow the app to check: "Has anyone proposed something like this?" before a user submits a new bench wishlist location, reducing duplicate advocacy efforts. **Future: Covenant Commerce (Roadmap — not yet live):** Eventually, local businesses could sponsor bench maintenance (a cafe keeps the nearby bench clean in exchange for a small plaque). This would use covenant commerce infrastructure when available. ## Data Model ### `benches` | Field | Type | Notes | |-------|------|-------| | id | uuid | Primary key | | lat, lng | float | Location coordinates | | location_description | text | "Corner of Oak & Main, bus stop" | | photo_url | text | Optional, stored in Replit object storage or similar | | shade | enum | full_sun, partial, shaded | | backrest | enum | none, low, supportive | | seat_material | enum | metal, wood, concrete, plastic, other | | noise_level | enum | peaceful, moderate, noisy | | bathroom_proximity | enum | within_2min, within_5min, none_nearby | | accessibility_notes | text | Free-form notes | | status | enum | pending, verified, removed | | created_at | timestamp | | | verified_at | timestamp | When second person confirmed | ### `bench_ratings` | Field | Type | Notes | |-------|------|-------| | id | uuid | Primary key | | bench_id | uuid | FK to benches | | user_fingerprint | text | Anonymous but consistent (for rate limiting) | | overall_rating | int | 1-5 stars | | comment | text | Optional review | | created_at | timestamp | | ### `checkins` | Field | Type | Notes | |-------|------|-------| | id | uuid | Primary key | | bench_id | uuid | FK to benches | | status | enum | available, taken | | created_at | timestamp | Decays after 30 min | ### `wishlist_pins` | Field | Type | Notes | |-------|------|-------| | id | uuid | Primary key | | lat, lng | float | Proposed location | | reason | text | "No seating for 4 blocks along this route" | | upvotes | int | Community support count | | created_at | timestamp | |