Much like coin-based cart systems found in supermarkets and airports, these stackable stools (which double as table surfaces) can be borrowed, moved around and returned with ease. Unlike fixed-position urban benches and tables, this design by Thomas Bernstrand lets users control their own experience, setting up a solo seat or group of seats and surfaces in the sun or shade as desired.

While not foolproof, of course (anyone intent on stealing them or leaving them out could do so), the furnishings do demand a small deposit to encourage people to to put them back when they are done. Also, the dangling chain and branded mark could help deter their disappearance into people’s homes.

In the United States, where the maximum value of an everyday-use coin is fairly small, the incentive would be correspondingly diminished. But in Euro countries where denominations are typically higher, the price of failing to return the items would be significantly higher.

The metal stools are made to be heavy and durable, keeping them from being knocked over in the wind and making them suitable to frequent outdoor use. They also stack neatly into columns, taking up less space on the streets (or in shopping centers or parks or squares) when not in use.

The designs are an extension of the Share Series, a set of seats and other objects with similar coin-operated functionality intended for public use.

Other pay-to-sit urban furniture projects include a chair series by Vincent Wittenberg, a bit more comfortable looking but they also take up more space on sidewalks.

Also: Fabian Brunsing, a Berlin-based artist and designer, took a different approach the problem (a bit more tongue-in-cheek). His bench uses coin deposits (but in this case non-refundable) that allow you to use a public bench. But when your time runs out: stand up fast to avoid the spikes.

What if we could make alternative transportation ultimately faster, cheaper and more convenient than personally-owned cars, the dominant transport devices of the 20th Century? The sharing economy has opened new possibilities for commuters and travelers, but integrating this dizzying array of options together with public transport is an essential next step in this ongoing paradigm shift.

OMG Transit is a Minneapolis-based startup that provides free, fast and simple sets of options for getting from your location to your destination without a personal car, be it by bus, shared bike (NiceRide in the case of the Twin Cities), shared car systems like Car2Go or ZipCar or private rides along the lines of Uber or Lyft. Available as an iPhone or Android application, OMG also offers a web app version – all with no cost to the user.

Boasting a beautifully-designed interface with attention to usability, color and detail, their free-for-all approach is aimed at helping them grow faster than the competition. Their team, headed by entrepreneur and technologist Matt Decuir, has its sights set first on major cities around the US and then the world (perhaps space thereafter).

More focused on next-step options than A-to-B directions, TransitScreen started out displaying realtime  transit data in residential, commercial and institutional building lobbies. Their boards show people up-to-the-minute information on subways, commuter trains, buses, bike share, ride shares in cities around the United States.

Now, with SmartWalk, this same company has taken to the streets (or rather: sidewalks and walls) outside of offices, apartments and universities, projecting this data onto public surfaces for the benefit of anyone passing by. The data includes color-coded transit option types and times but also wayfinding cues regarding directions and distance.

Other players in this space include Roadify and RideScout, though not all offer options for all devices or for every type of regional transport. Some, like Google Maps in its current form, have broader reach but focus more on public transportation schedules (their acquisition of Waze is a step toward realtime data, albeit for personal cars). Whatever system(s) triumph, the goal is a worthy one: reducing friction in the use of alternative transit options to the point where taking, for instance, a bus to a bike to a shared car is easy, fast and cheap enough to obviate the need for a fully-owned automobile.

Drop Spots are the basis for a unique form of urban interaction. A Drop Spot is a place where you can exchange an object with a stranger in your city- pick one thing up and leave another behind. This item can be virtually anything, from a CD or quote to a photograph or piece of art. The Drop Spots website is a bit like a virtual Drop Spot itself – somewhat tucked away on the web and a bit of a mystery.

Still, the Drop Spots process is simple: you log on, find a local Drop Spot, bring an item to it, take what is there and leave your item behind. However, the resulting interactions can be rich and complex: you never know what you might get, and can join in a dialogue on DropSpots.org (both about your item and the location). You can even create your own new Drop Spot, place an object there and list it on the site.

Drop Spotting can be understood in many ways. It is at once an alternative and interactive type of geocaching, a form of guerilla street art and a way to safely connect, communicate and share things with strangers in your city. Drop Spots can get you to think about the invisible secrets of cities, the relationship between yourself and total strangers. For more information visit the Drop Spots online. After you try it out, be sure to check back and let us know how it went!