Seating Selection for Public Spaces: A Research-Backed Guide

What makes someone stay longer in a park - or leave after five minutes? It’s often not the aesthetics or greenery - but the seating options. A study in Berlin, Germany,  mapped sitting spots in three public spaces and found that seating choices dramatically change how long people stay.

At GX Outdoors, we’ve worked with councils and architects to supply street and park furniture across thousands of projects - and spent over a decade designing products grounded in real-world research and user behaviour. This guide brings together key insights to help align your seating choices with how people use public space - balancing behavioural goals, accessibility, and placemaking.

If you’re selecting seating for a public space, this guide offers thoughtful considerations - not hard rules - to help you make more intentional, impactful decisions.

GX Outdoors Seating Installation at Doug Larsen Park, Beenleigh QLD.

Seating Options That Affect User Behaviour

Research shows that specific park seat types directly influence how long people stay and how they interact in a space. Below are proven seating options linked to user behaviours and longer visits.

1. Park Seat (Standard)

Grouped benches encourage social use; isolated ones see brief, individual use (Project for Public Spaces)

2. Park Seats with Armrests

In studies, older adults used armrests 100% of the time to assist with sitting and standing -making them essential for accessibility. (WHO Global Age-friendly Cities Guide)

3. Seating with Tables

Park zones with amenities like picnic areas are “beacons” that foster shared time and co-location - indirectly supporting longer, social visits. (GPS-based analysis in Central Park)

4. Platform Seating

Studies show platforms complement other seating by offering diverse options - users spend more time in parks and engage socially when seating variety increases (Urban Forestry & Urban Greening)

5. Daybeds & Lounges

Cities like New York are adding daybed-style loungers to public spaces in response to user demand - Times Square’s X-shaped loungers are a prime example.

6. Bench Seats

Observations in Hong Kong showed that open, backless benches facilitate flexible seating postures and improve social engagement by allowing users to face different directions or groups, enhancing interaction and comfort.

7. Park Seats with Shade

Behavioural Insight: In a study by the Cancer Institute NSW, 43% of users expressed a preference for seating areas to be shaded.

8. Modular Seating

Seating placement matters, but modular furniture’s real strength is adapting over time to evolving user needs - increasing satisfaction and reducing ongoing costs (Evaluating the Sitting Behaviour on Public Places).

GX Outdoors Integra Ex Park Seat installed at The Gables Sporting Precinct, Gables NSW.

Every seating choice - from shaded benches to flexible modular configurations - influences how people use and interact in public spaces. At GX Outdoors, we apply research and end-user insights to design park furniture that actively shapes how spaces function - and we share those insights with our clients to help create better, more engaging public places.

Want more insights like this? Follow GX Outdoors on LinkedIn - hit the button below.