Body Conscious Design and Urbanism

Sitting is distinctively urban; the practice of sitting in chairs increased in response to global industrialization and urbanization. Sitting is the foremost contributor to sedentary lifestyle, which has recently been proven to shorten life span. This article guides readers to re-think chair sitting from the perspective of Body Conscious Design. Section 1 reviews the anatomical and physiological problems of right angle chairs and of sitting in general. Section 2 briefly recounts the history of chairs dating back to neolithic times and analyzes historically significant chair designs that remain popular today. Section 3 offers postures and equipment alternative to sitting on chairs based on biomedical research and innovations in chair design, and our direct experience. It also describes ways to modify a regular chair when forced to use one. Section 4 focuses on sitting reforms for public urban spaces that exemplify more body friendly policy and design.