A Seat in the City

Anees Arnold, Urban Design, City of Cape Town, Luke Pedersen, Pedersen + Lennard, Amy Thompson, Yes And Studio and Gareth Pearson

Why public seating shapes how we experience Cape Town’s Inner City

Last week, during  a deceptively simple question took centre stage: Does the seating in our city make us feel welcome?

Hosted by The Mission for Inner City Cape Town as a special Urban Design edition of its Inner City Voices series, the discussion reframed the humble bench as one of the most powerful tools in shaping public life.

Moderated by Gareth Pearson of The Mission and Cape Town Furniture Week, the panel convened a cross-section of design and urban development voices: Amy Thompson of Yes And Studio, Luke Pedersen of Pedersen + Lennard, and Anees Arnold from Urban Design at the City of Cape Town.

Together, they unpacked how something as seemingly ordinary as a seat can determine whether a space feels safe, inclusive — or quietly avoided.

Seating Is Never Neutral

One of the clearest insights to emerge was that seating is never neutral. It signals who belongs.

People instinctively look for:

• A sense of protection — their back against a wall or solid structure

• Shade in summer and sun in winter

• The ability to observe public life without feeling exposed

“We want our back to something. We want to sit under a tree and people-watch while feeling safe,” Thompson noted.

Spaces such as Company’s Garden and parts of Greenmarket Square were cited as examples where tree canopy, active edges and comfortable benches encourage people to linger. Yet even these established public realms, the panel suggested, could benefit from more intentional calibration of comfort, placement and sensory experience.

The Power of Staying Put

The discussion referenced the “Power of 10+” principle — the idea that successful public spaces offer multiple reasons to stay.

Seating alone, the panel agreed, is not enough.

Programming, identity and flexibility are equally critical. A square should support quiet rest, play, markets, performances and informal gathering. It should evolve across seasons and times of day.

“Not all spaces must do the same thing,” Arnold observed. “But each space needs to be intentional about its role in the city.”

Several Inner City squares — particularly those currently dominated by parking — were identified as low-hanging fruit for activation through layered, small-scale interventions.

Design Versus Durability

Beyond aesthetics, the panel tackled the pragmatic realities of public furniture:

• Who owns the bench?

• Who repairs it?

• Can it be replaced when damaged?

Pedersen reflected on the tension between designing for comfort and designing against theft or vandalism. “As designers, we often service a minority of South Africans who can afford to buy our furniture,” he said. “Designing for public space reminds us it’s a privilege to contribute to something that serves everyone.”

Arnold echoed the need for cross-sector collaboration and repairability. Public seating, he argued, should be designed not just to endure, but to be maintained — raising broader questions about the respective roles of government and private business in shaping shared space.

He also highlighted the value of water and other “free assets” in the urban environment — from fountains to historic waterways — and asked how the city might better integrate cooling, sound and sensory elements into seating environments.

A Walk for Violet

Perhaps the most resonant story of the evening was “Violet’s Walk” in Woodstock — a small but profound intervention by Pedersen + Lennard.

Inspired by a 90-year-old resident who walked daily for her health, the studio installed 12 fold-down benches attached to private properties along her route. The resting points enabled her mobility while strengthening neighbourly connection and shared stewardship of the street.

For Thompson, the project underscored the importance of listening widely. “I’m heartened by Violet’s Walk,” she reflected. “It’s a reminder that we need different voices and different uses for seating. When we listen more widely, we design better.”

The intervention demonstrated how modest, collaborative acts can unlock dignity, accessibility and belonging — without waiting for large-scale infrastructure overhauls.

Designing for Generations

As Cape Town’s Inner City continues to evolve into a denser residential neighbourhood, the conversation turned toward children, families and multigenerational design.

Questions emerged:

• How high should a bench be?

• Should it include a backrest?

• Can children use it safely?

• Is it comfortable for elderly residents?

“If you designed a city for kids,” Pearson remarked in closing, “you’d make it better for everyone.”

Arnold reinforced the need to bring multiple stakeholders and generations into the design process from the outset — ensuring that public space reflects the full spectrum of those who use it.

From Conversation to Intervention

The discussion forms part of The Mission’s broader placemaking agenda, positioning public life as a driver of urban regeneration in Cape Town’s Inner City.

Following the panel, The Mission confirmed it will launch SIT(E) — a site-specific public furniture initiative introducing a series of Inner City seating interventions informed directly by the evening’s insights.

The ambition is both simple and transformative: to cultivate a walkable, welcoming Inner City where seating supports safety, connection and belonging.

As the panel made clear, a bench is never just a bench. It is an invitation — or a barrier. And the next chapter of Cape Town’s Inner City may well depend on how intentionally that invitation is designed.

About The Mission for Inner City Cape Town

The Mission for Inner City Cape Town is a non-profit entity established to enhance and promote South Africa’s most successful Inner City by bringing government, business and citizens together to reimagine and revive streets and public spaces for all.

Grounded in the belief that the Inner City is a living, evolving environment shaped by those who inhabit it, The Mission works to unlock its full potential through innovative placemaking interventions and destination marketing, in collaboration with the City of Cape Town, the Cape Town Central City Improvement District, and other partners.

For partnership opportunities or further information, visit www.missionforinnercity.org or follow @missionforinnercityct on Instagram and LinkedIn.