Having determined which stores, schools or street corners need bike racks, the next task is find the perfect location for the rack so that it is clearly visible, accessible, etc, and yet doesn’t interfere with pedestrians or vending machines or whatever else is also on the street corner. For example, the City of Seattle specificies that,

• Racks are installed in public space within the Seattle City limits, usually on a wide sidewalk with five or more feet of clear sidewalk space remaining.
• Racks are placed to avoid conflicts with pedestrians.  They are usually installed near the curb and away from building entrances and crosswalks.
• Racks can be installed in bus stops or loading zones only if they do not interfere with boarding or loading patterns and there are no alternative sites.

The City of Chicago notes that they will provide racks only on sidewalks ten feet wide or more, and they can’t be installed on the city’s heated, vaulted, or architectural sidewalks for a variety of technical reasons. The city will only install bike racks in concrete, as they cannot be securely anchored in asphalt. Racks must be four feet from fire hydrants, curb ramps, building entrances etc.