"Major studies have shown that seating is an important factor in explaining popularity or vacancies of plazas and other forms of public spaces that support public gatherings and social interactions. Although many studies have researched how much seating is needed, few studies to date examine the impact that movable types of seating have on people's behavior. This research focuses on the response of people's behavior towards moveable furniture within plazas. Specifically, it explores this understudied area of landscape design through the use of time-lapse photography to capture the movement of nomadic chairs at a central plaza on Michigan State University's campus. Over 384 recorded images from this project that were coded to document the number of chairs in distinct zones within the plaza. Regression analysis was then used to examine the relationship between the densities of chairs in particular zones in response to: time of day, weather, and temperature. The analysis suggests that moveable furniture is a tool in exhibiting how these abiotic factors mediate user behavior. The findings of this research show the importance of providing nomadic furniture in plazas and the importance of proposing design guidelines for successful seating placement."--Page ii.
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