Yes, absolutely—and many cities have already found clever ways to do this without turning public seating into a punishment. The key is understanding that the goal isn’t to make benches *painful*, but to make them *inhospitable for lying down* while remaining perfectly pleasant for sitting.
Let’s start with the most common solution: armrests and divided seating. By placing armrests at strategic intervals—typically every 18 to 24 inches—you break the bench into individual seats. A person can sit comfortably with their own armrests, but lying across the bench becomes awkward because your body doesn’t fit between the dividers. The trick is making the armrests wide and slightly angled so they don’t dig into your hips when sitting, but they still create physical barriers for reclining.
Another approach is a slightly sloped or curved seat surface. If the bench is tilted backward just a few degrees (unnoticeable when sitting), it forces your center of gravity forward when you try to lie down, making it feel unstable. Some designers use a concave curve along the length of the bench—the sitting area is flat in the center but rises gently at the edges, providing a natural “seat” shape. Lying down feels like you’re rolling toward the middle, which is distracting but not painful. Sitting remains perfectly cozy because your weight stays distributed.
Then there’s the question of material and texture. Wood or perforated metal are often used instead of solid slabs. Wood can feel warm and natural under your legs, but if you try to lie down, the gaps or slight unevenness create pressure points that discourage long stays. Coated metal with a textured grip is also common—it’s comfortable for short sits but unpleasant for lying on a metal grid for hours.
Finally, some designers use visual cues—like a slight “lump” or a central ridge in the seat. This doesn’t make sitting uncomfortable (your sit bones naturally land on the flatter parts), but lying down forces your spine or ribs into that ridge. It’s a subtle barrier that most people wouldn’t even notice while sitting.
The real challenge is avoiding the infamous “anti-homeless” aesthetic—spikes, sharp bars, or deliberately painful surfaces. That’s not necessary. The best designs are invisible in their hostility. You should be able to sit for hours, read a book, or have a conversation. But if you try to stretch out, you’ll naturally find it awkward and move elsewhere.
In short: yes, it’s entirely possible. The secret lies in geometry, not brutality. A bench that says “sit here” but quietly guides you not to lie down is a bench that serves everyone—without making anyone feel unwelcome or uncomfortable.