What makes a space truly comfortable? Why do some places immediately make you want to stay, while you want to quickly bypass others? The architecture of public space isn’t just about aesthetics, but about experience, interaction, and emotional connection. Every element—from a bench to the lighting—either serves a person or makes their presence more difficult.
Creating a comfortable public space is simultaneously an art, urban design, and a social responsibility. Here are 5 steps that will help make this space truly alive, convenient, and humane.
Step 1. Start with Understanding People
Before you start drawing, you should observe. Who will be using the space? What is their age, lifestyle, physical abilities, and habits? A public space should be accessible and understandable to everyone—parents with children, the elderly, people with disabilities, and young people.
🡒 Study the usage scenarios: What do people want to do there? How do they move around? Where do they stop?
Step 2. Make the Space Safe and Transparent
Comfort is impossible without a basic sense of safety. This includes:
- High-quality lighting
- Good visibility (an open space without “blind spots”)
- Well-thought-out placement of entrances and exits
🡒 The space must not only be safe—it must look safe.
Step 3. Add Meaning Through Design
A space should have character. A bench isn’t just a bench, but a meeting place. A ramp isn’t just infrastructure, but a symbol of inclusion.
🡒 Incorporate elements of local identity, color, and texture. Small details create an impression and influence the attitude towards the space.
Step 4. Allow People to Stay
A public space should invite people not just to pass through, but to stay. What is needed for this?
- Comfortable seating
- Shade and protection from precipitation
- Sources of water
- Access to Wi-Fi or charging devices
🡒 A space without functions is just a transit point. Convenience transforms it into a place of power.
Step 5. Give People the Opportunity to Change the Space Together
The best spaces are those where the community feels like a co-creator. This can include interactive elements, the opportunity to participate in planning, or artistic initiatives.
🡒 The design should be not just “for” people, but “with” them. This lays the foundation for long-term care and pride in the place.
Comfort as a Social Contract
A comfortable public space isn’t just about benches, shade, and ramps. It’s about mutual respect: between people and the city, between architects and residents, between the present and the future. In such spaces, it’s not just convenient—you want to stay, return, and invite others.
When a designer or architect thinks through a space in detail, they don’t just create infrastructure—they lay a foundation of trust. Trust in a city that cares. In a community that participates. In oneself, as a part of this urban environment.
Comfort is a basic need in the modern world. And public spaces that satisfy this need become centers of dialogue, cultural exchange, social integration, and development. And if we want to live in cities that inspire us—we should start with how they treat us through their spaces.
