Image from BikeArlington.

Arlington County and the Rosslyn BID are trying out a couple of new concepts in street furniture.

The loopy thing in the image at right is a new bike rack, intended to double as an attractive sculpture. After all, if Metro stations can double as works of art, why shouldn’t other pieces of infrastructure?

The boxy thing in the background isn’t so nice to look at, but is a nifty high-tech trash compactor. It’s solar-powered, compacts trash to reduce the frequency of collection (therefore reducing cost and pollution), and is secure against infestation by rodents and birds.

Of course trash cans and bike racks aren’t as sexy as new streetcars or defeated schemes to turn Washington into Houston, but they’re nonetheless important parts of the streetscape that contribute to good urbanism. Cheers to Rosslyn for progressively finding better solutions to everyday problems.