Thousands of books spanned from sidewalk to sidewalk in Ann Arbor’s Literature vs Traffic installation, creating a space for quiet reflection on the value of pedestrian-friendly public spaces and the absence of noise pollution. The intersection of Liberty and State, a major juncture in this college town, was closed down for a day and night to allow the work to be deployed and enjoyed.

Volunteers attached small lights to the books, which were gifted back out to the community when the project was wrapped up — visitors were encouraged to take books with them when they left, leaving the streets clean and empty by midnight.

Luzinterruptus is a Spanish design collective that is traveling the world, collecting volumes in each location for these city-specific installations. The proximity to Motor City was particularly apt in this case, too.

“We want literature to take over the streets and to become the conqueror of all public places, offering passersby a traffic-free area that will, for a few hours, surrender to the humble might of the written word,” explain the designers. “Thus, a place in the city usually dedicated to speed, pollution, and noise, shall turn, for one night, into a place of peace, quiet, and coexistence, lighted by the soft dim light issued from the book pages.”

Perfect for a pop-up market in Seoul that appears only overnight and on weekends, these collapsible and stackable structures take up little space when not in use and can be deployed and stored quickly and easily.

Designed by Motoelasico for the capital city of South Korea, the temporary tents provide space for craftspeople and designers to set up shop and sell wares. Then, during the week, the units can be left on site without taking up public space.

Two site-specific variants were developed for two locals along the Han River. One site is narrow and long, and its design solution consists of a series of foldable ‘V’ structures on wheels covered with orange tarps.

Each unit houses three vendor booths with roll-up sides to for visibility and ventilation. The fronts and backs are open allowing views through to the river behind the sellers as well.

The other site is a broader and more built-up area of benches and greenery, and its solution draws on the model of stackable supermarket carts. Booths are independent and pyramidal, but can be slid into one another for storage.

These yellow-clad units have more flexibility in this less-linear space, able to be arrayed around corners and arranged in different ways depending on demand.

While both are responses to a particular place and set of needs, they also serve as a useful model for other cities looking to create open-air markets — simple, durable, practical but also fun, colorful and inventive.

A fresh new type of park-on-the-water in Rotterdam is turned plastic trash that once polluted the area into a series of hexagonal pods now open to the public. The design is built to scale, too — more units can be added as more waste is recovered.

The floating landscape is meant to raise awareness, but also provides a practical resting spot for people, as well as a refuge and breeding ground for snails, flatworms, beatles and fish — each pod has its on purpose, be it benches for humans or soil for plants and animals.

The artificial island chain was built by the Recycled Island Foundation, an organization that takes trash from the mouths of rivers using litter traps and reuses what they can. These traps are designed to catch and keep what passes by, even as the currents of the rivers change.

“When we retrieve the plastics directly in our cities and ports we actively prevent the further growth of the plastic soup in our seas and oceans. The realization of the building blocks in recycled plastics is an important step towards a litter free river.”

Designed for 19th-century travelers trekking up and down the mighty Mississippi on riverboats, these scrolled parchments unspooled to reveal major cities and points of interest worthy of note along the way. The Ribbon Map of the Father of Waters in particular had an impressive reach, spanning from Minnesota down to the Gulf of Mexico, just three inches wide but eleven feet long.

Unlike “network maps,” designed to allow users to seek out different points of interest and map out their own route, these “itinerary maps” documented a single path, like a long guide to a single trail versus an atlas.

“Strip maps arose from oral or written itineraries,” writes Cara Giaimo, “and were used by ancient Romans who wanted to plan trips to nearby towns, and medieval Europeans who hoped to make pilgrimages from London to Jerusalem. Reading one is like getting directions from a friend: left at this landmark, right at that fork.”

In the 1860s, a pair of St. Louis-based entrepreneurs made their first “ribbon map,” and patented an associated sheet-connecting technique and scrolling apparatus. If it had sold as well as they hoped (to passengers, not the captains who knew routes like the backs of their hands), they had plans to unfurl other linear maps for places like Broadway in New York City or rail lines between major cities.

And while some were sold, they never took off as intended, and, of course, have since been replaced by higher-tech solutions.

“The world is your waterbed” according to SmithFly, the creators of the floating Shoal Tent, an inflatable sleeping craft that lets you drift off while drifting out on the water.

The base is inflatable as is the tent structure, obviating the need for poles. Waterproof and wind resistant, it features a thick drop-stitched floor that serves as a robust but comfortable air mattress.

The tent is about eight by eight feet along the outside, and a person within can stand up without hitting the top.The top attaches easily but also detaches quickly in case of emergency. Each unit comes with a storage bag, foot pump and patch kit in case those shoals turn out to be rocky.

Of course, you have to be a bit adventurous to try this out on the open water, but SmithFly suggests sticking to “your favorite farm pond, salt water flat, spring creek, or eddie on your favorite river.” They are scheduled to cost around $1500 and are available for pre-sale.

More from its maker: “SmithFly designs and builds modular gear for sportsmen who want to be able to change and reconfigure their gear to suit various conditions and situations. Our goal is to build as much as possible in the USA.Our unique small batch mentality allows us great flexibility to test and maintain the highest standards of quality possible..”