Urban viscachas, charming rodent-like creatures native to South America, are increasingly adapting to city life. As urban expansion encroaches on their natural habitats, innovative outdoor seating designs can play a crucial role in supporting these unique animals. Here’s how urban planners and designers can create viscacha-friendly spaces:

1. Incorporate Natural Elements: Use rocks, shrubs, and native plants around seating areas to mimic the viscacha’s natural rocky habitat. This provides shelter and foraging opportunities.

2. Elevated and Hidden Spaces: Design benches with hollow bases or raised platforms to create safe hiding spots. Viscachas prefer elevated areas to avoid predators.

3. Drought-Resistant Landscaping: Since viscachas thrive in arid environments, opt for low-water plants and sandy soil to replicate their native ecosystem.

4. Minimize Human Disturbance: Place seating away from high-traffic zones to reduce stress on viscachas. Quiet corners of parks or plazas are ideal.

5. Educational Signage: Integrate informative plaques about viscachas to raise awareness and encourage respectful coexistence.

By blending functionality with wildlife conservation, cities can create outdoor spaces that benefit both humans and urban viscachas, fostering biodiversity in unexpected places.