How Creative Seating Shapes A City's Character

Adding seating that draws out creativity is an effective way to give a city a sense of identity

Cities these days are investing in arts and culture in ways that are expensive and don't support connection, usually hidden behind closed doors in galleries and museums. But we can create opportunities for creativity that are woven directly into the urban fabric through public seating. Cities are full of benches and moveable seats (or if they aren't, they should be), and the flexibility of seating's design offers endless opportunities for introducing beauty, character, and creativity to our streets.

At its most basic, public seating is a surface at a comfortable height to sit on. Beyond that, the possibilities for the look and feel of these key amenities – from the materials and colors used to the ornamentation added to the extra features attached to them – are endless!

Let's take a look at some interesting variations.

A Bench Plus

Benches and public seating are essential to making a place feel comfortable and welcoming. When there is nowhere to sit, the message is that you are not invited to stick around and relax. That doesn't mean, however, that seating should be used only for sitting on. There are countless ways public seating structures can be transformed into something more than a spot to rest on – they can be anything from a library to a sculpture to a boat! In fact, the more that a public bench can offer, the greater the value it can provide to place and the people who visit it. There's no need to shy away from getting creative.

Paris' "Jenga" Benches

In Paris, benches made of blocks of wood fitted together at different levels create fun and dynamic seating configurations that are perfect for long corridors like waterfront promenades. These multi-leveled benches can be used as places to sit, eat, climb, and play on, with their length and design adjustable to the needs of the space they're set up in. Their Jenga-like design makes them not only easy to build, but also easy to customize.

Creative Tree-Guard Benches

Tree-guard benches are fantastic additions to cities because they have a double function – they protect trees from vandalism and damage while at the same time providing a shaded seating area for larger groups of people to sit. Their large surface area also allows room for a variety of interesting additions. From colorful pillows to potted plants or fun sculptures, the tree-guard bench is a platform that allows urban character to flourish.

Nature as Seating

Sometimes, there's no need to introduce external structures to a space. If there are prominent natural features, they themselves can be shaped and reframed as seating areas. From tree stumps to large stones to the cracks in a boulder, nature offers its own take on seating when looked at with an open mind.

Art as Seating

Seating isn't always intentionally designed as such. People find their way to whatever surface looks comfortable without worrying too much about what else is sitting there. Sometimes, that's art! Works of art put in a space to decorate it and serve as landmarks can be repurposed as seating areas when they incorporate a flat base or if they are easily climbable. As long as there's no "keep off" sign, sculptures and public art are fair game as seating, and often make some of the most comfortable and interesting places to rest.

All it takes to turn a sculpture into seating is to add a platform!

Sculpture Benches

Other times, seating and art are intentionally combined. When a sculpture is added to a bench, you never have to sit alone. You can share the space with a celebrity, historical figure, or fantastical creature, and enjoy a plethora of photo opportunities to boot.

Bollards as Seating

Since bollards are necessary amenities along streets to keep pedestrians safe, there's no reason why their design shouldn't "kill two birds with one stone" by doubling as seating. Making bollards comfortable to sit on allows them to fulfill two key functions on the sidewalk at the same time – safety and comfort.

Creative Moveable Seating

An idea that was popularized in Luxembourg Gardens and Bryant Park has spread around the world and greatly expanded social gathering options – moveable seating. Chairs that you can pick up and position allow people to sit however they want – alone, with a friend, or in a group – and to arrange themselves in whatever configuration feels most comfortable. When they are also creatively designed, they make a space look different every day as the seating configurations change.

Just a Splash of Color

Creativity doesn't have to be complex, expensive, or elaborate. Painting a standard bench a bright color is a simple way to give it some personality and whimsy. The mere addition of vibrancy through color invites people to loosen up and have fun.

When Creative Seating Fails

While creativity is wonderful, it's not enough for a bench to be creative. At the end of the day, the primary function of a bench is to be comfortable. All too often we see benches that look original and unusual with the apparent aim to draw attention or give a place a unique aesthetic. But if this aesthetic isn't compatible with comfort, then something is not as it should be.

Please Just a Nice Place to Sit!

When there's no seating or the seating is insufficient, uncomfortable or inaccessible, people are forced to get creative. They find whatever surface they can, sometimes the smallest surface imaginable, and they perch to the best of their ability. They shouldn't have to do so – we are not animals that must make do with what we find in the wild – but sometimes there is no other option.

Harvard University - a creative solution to uncomfortable seating is to add cushions

Cities that Exude Creativity Because of Their Seating

Zurich and Its Art Benches

Some years ago, Zurich introduced dozens of artistic benches to its public places. These benches added a burst of personality and creativity to the city, helping people express themselves through the simple act of choosing where to sit. From fantastic creatures to unique contraptions, each bench embodied a figment of the artist's imagination and shared a touch of whimsy with the community.

"Personalized" benches for distinct personalities

Artistic Seats in Belfast, Maine

Belfast is a town in which the seating is like a landmark in and of itself. With beautifully painted lounge chairs, swinging benches, and elaborately carved wooden seats, discovering each new iteration of the public seat is part of the fun of walking around town.

Seating that brings out our creativity

A creative bench isn't necessarily a bench that is designed in an artistic way, but one that allows human creativity to come through. By encouraging self-expression, connection, reflection, and conversation, the best kind of seating is the one that enriches your way of experiencing the city and the people you share it with.

An amenity like seating can be much more than just a functional addition to a space. It can be decorative, artistic, awe-inspiring even! The more we think outside the box about the way we use amenities and experience our environment, the more interesting and unique our cities can become.