Drinking fountains : the past and future of free public water in the United States

Abstract

Drinking fountains have a rich history as pieces of urban infrastructure in the United States. Installed in prominent public squares to reduce disease, help the poor, and promote a temperance agenda, early American drinking fountains often fulfilled dual roles as public art and functional public good. But today's drinking fountains, when installed at all, are purely utilitarian: undesigned in terms of both form and urban placement. Shoved between bathrooms and trashcans and usually broken, drinking fountains have fallen on hard times in the public realm. Many Americans express skepticism of public water sources, reflecting underlying attitudes about distrust of government and public infrastructure. There are compelling reasons to rethink our relationship with drinking fountains. Today, the United States confronts a new set of challenges: neglected urban spaces, lifestyle-related disease, privatization of public goods, socio-economic inequality, and plastic pollution. Drinking fountains may be uniquely suited to help confront these problems by cutting down on bottle waste, providing accessible water for homeless populations, reducing sugar-sweetened beverage consumption, facilitating exercise, and adding interest and beauty to public spaces - but they will only be able to achieve these goals through thoughtful design and maintenance. In surveys, people were more likely to drinking from outdoor drinking fountains if they believed that they were clean, safe, and beautiful; the importance of appeal in decision-making has been understood by corporations like Coca-Cola for decades, but has been little-considered in promoting public water. Further, drinking fountains, seemingly insignificant urban elements, are key indicators of cultural attitudes about the public good: do we care only for ourselves and our families, or do we pool our resources and work together to bring benefits to the entire community? Addressing the problems in current American drinking fountains and drinking fountain perceptions could elevate them to address some of today's most pressing problems.