The Good Bench manual is a practical and inspiring tool for anyone working on cities, streets, and public spaces. It explores how something as simple as a bench can play a powerful role in shaping social life, wellbeing, and inclusion in the public realm.
Rather than treating seating as an afterthought or a design object, the manual reframes it as essential urban infrastructure and a clear signal of hospitality. It explains why places with good seating feel lively and welcoming, while places without it often become spaces people only pass through.
The manual addresses common failures in public seating—such as lack of benches, poor placement, or hostile design—and shows how these choices affect who feels welcome in public space. It then offers a clear, people-centred framework for getting seating right, from citywide networks to streets, plazas, and the design of the bench itself.
Grounded in placemaking practice and social research, The Good Bench manual helps turn everyday public spaces into places where people can pause, meet, and belong.
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