A city’s beauty includes how easily a tired person can find somewhere to sit.

Beauty in a place is usually described in terms of how it looks from a distance, which quietly assumes a viewer who can keep walking. Benches, shade, and steps at a manageable height decide who can spend an afternoon there and who has to leave early. A street that offers nowhere to rest is not neutral; it has chosen its visitors.

Walk a familiar route this week and count the places you could sit without buying anything. The answer tells you something about who the street is for, and it is worth saying out loud when anyone asks what makes a place good.