Case Study: Ann Arbor delivers public good with Throne restroom solution

“One of the best pieces of public good technology I’ve utilized in 30 years of local government.” —Derek Delacourt, City Services Administrator, City of Ann Arbor

Written by: Beth D’Arcy

About Ann Arbor

Located in southeast Michigan, Ann Arbor is home to 120,000 residents and the University of Michigan Wolverines. Game day energy pulses through walkable downtown districts lined with shops, delis, art galleries, and venues, and onto trails, courts, and shores within a sprawling regional-style park system. Ann Arbor is consistently voted one of the best cities to live in Michigan.  

Ann Arbor’s public restroom challenge

Ann Arbor’s walkable downtown and endless park system are two of the city’s most popular destinations, drawing crowds, event goers, and everyday folks. But the city knew they had a problem. For years, the city grappled with improving access to public restrooms people actually wanted to use in these popular areas.

When surveyed, downtown stakeholders, businesses, and residents ranked public restroom access as their number one concern. The City placed temporary porta potties in an attempt to improve the restroom problem, but the experience was exceptionally poor and not a viable long-term alternative for the high traffic area. The City and the Downtown Development Authority even considered opening private facilities to serve as public restrooms for visitors.

At the same time, the City needed to improve the public restrooms in its vast park system. Michigan’s harsh winters kept the park restrooms closed and inaccessible to visitors for almost half of the year. The high maintenance costs of seasonal, permanent infrastructure across multiple locations made long-term investment decisions more challenging.

Ann Arbor needed a long-term – but flexible – solution to their complex public restroom problem.

The decision to try Throne

The City tried restroom trailers and porta potties, but frequent misuse created a poor experience for users. Smart sewer-connected restrooms offer limited data collection, but locked the City into permanent locations that couldn’t adapt if needs changed.

After hearing about Throne through a referral, the City’s Community Services division knew they’d found their solution. Ann Arbor needed flexible restrooms to accommodate seasonal changes and high traffic without problems that typically come with public restrooms.

What stood out to Ann Arbor

Each Throne is tech-enabled to prevent misuse and cleanliness issues.

• Phone app or an entry-card access
• 10-minute time limit
• 21+ sensors to detect smoke, water levels, and usage levels
• Users can submit feedback via the app or SMS after each use

The program is completely turnkey.

• Throne collects usage data to inform long-term infrastructure decisions
• Throne installs and maintains each unit
• Throne’s local team cleans each unit multiple times per day, depending on usage

Each Throne is a dignified, safe, and accessible restroom for everyone.

• ADA-compliant and wheelchair-accessible ramp
• Running water toilet with touchless flush, faucet, and exit
• Baby-changing table
• NaviLens codes to guide people who are blind or low vision

Ultimately, no alternative lived up to what Throne could offer: delightfully clean and location-flexible public restrooms that everyone wants to use.

Working with Throne

In November 2023, the Ann Arbor City Council unanimously approved a 12-month pilot with Throne. Starting in June 2024, Thrones were up and running across 8 downtown and park locations.

Officials selected each location based on feedback from a community survey and specific siting criteria. They considered pedestrian traffic levels, distance from outdoor dining areas and existing restrooms, electrical access, and lighting levels. They also took care to place Thrones where they could make the biggest impact, including near the Robert J. Delonis Center to serve those experiencing homelessness.

The pilot aimed to improve access to clean and safe public restrooms for everyone while gathering insights to help future decision-making. After a year, the experience with Throne spoke for itself, and the City Council approved a 5-year service extension.

Ann Arbor’s Throne results

Easy and immediately loved by the community

The City initially launched the Throne pilot without marketing it to the public to see if people took to the concept. In the first year, there were around 89,000 uses with no reported incidents.  

Versatile and inclusive

The City learned that Thrones could support large events from massive football games to weekly summer lunch concerts in a park. Through an independent study conducted by the Office of Equity and Inclusion, the City determined that Thrones were truly inclusive and accessible to users across the board.

Essential service delivered

Officials also found that residents experiencing homelessness deeply valued the dignified restroom access – so much so that they became stewards of the resource to ensure it remained clean and available for everyone.

Completely turnkey

From an operational standpoint, the City experienced a true ‘set it and forget it’ program. Because Throne handles the development, monitoring, customer service, cleaning, and maintenance of each unit, Ann Arbor didn’t divert any staff time or labor to manage the program.

On-the-ground vendor support

When questions came up, city officials contacted their single point of contact at Throne – an Ann Arbor local who understood the city’s nuances. He knew the neighborhoods, businesses, and anticipated usage patterns based on what was happening around town.

By the end of the pilot, Ann Arbor not only considered Throne a part of the community, but a public good. In a unanimous show of support, the Ann Arbor City Council voted to extend the contract with Throne long-term.  

By the numbers

• 4.4/5 stars: average cleanliness rating
• 12 average uses between cleans
• 29% of users returned for 2+ visits
• <10 instances of vandalism (graffiti)
• 96% uptime (when Throne is available or in use)
• 0 instances requiring law enforcement

Investing in the public good

Ann Arbor officials knew that providing safe and clean public restrooms was a public service worth investing in. The flexibility to collect data and test locations without building permanent infrastructure gave the City data to make more informed decisions – all while improving public restroom access to the people of Ann Arbor.

Now fans heading to the Big House, families exploring riverside trails, and residents downtown can enjoy Ann Arbor without worrying about restroom access. The City showed that sometimes the best way to serve your community is to try something new.

Is Throne right for your city?

Throne Labs is revolutionizing public restroom access across the U.S. Whether you’re looking to pilot smart restrooms in a few high-demand locations or expand access citywide, we’ll help you design a program that meets your needs and budget. Let’s talk!