CULTURE
City Together Hub
Reimagining Civic Space Through Experiential Design
In a time when civic spaces often struggle to feel welcoming or accessible, the City Together Hub offers a bold vision for what inclusive public engagement can look like. Commissioned as part of a broader public realm regeneration initiative in Cape Town, this vibrant civic center was developed through a collaborative and iterative process that prioritized community participation, transparency, and flexibility.
formula D_ was appointed to lead the concept development and spatial strategy of the hub, shaping it as both a physical anchor and a symbolic beacon of democratic involvement. The design brief called for a space where citizens could engage directly with government representatives, voice concerns, learn about public services, and co-develop ideas for a better city. Our team’s approach went beyond traditional architecture and embraced experiential design principles to cultivate openness, co-creation, and dialogue.
The City Together Hub is a modular, reconfigurable space that adapts to a wide variety of community needs—from formal stakeholder consultations and public meetings to playful workshops and youth-led forums. Our team designed the physical environment around key behavioral insights: people engage more deeply when they feel ownership, agency, and emotional safety. To that end, we created a warm, transparent interior design language with clearly zoned areas for discussion, collaboration, digital participation, and creative expression.
The experience journey was carefully mapped to foster both active and passive engagement. Visitors can explore interactive data displays, for example, they can enter a virtual reality bus ride that takes them to future urban planning projects of Cape Town. They also can contribute to ideation walls or speak one-on-one with city officials. Integrated digital feedback systems make it easy to capture visitor sentiments in real time, turning public input into actionable insights.
Ultimately, the City Together Hub exemplifies how experiential design can reshape civic architecture into a catalyst for connection. It breaks down barriers between citizens and institutions, turning what could be a sterile service space into an inspiring environment for shared progress. In a city marked by complex social dynamics, the hub provides a new typology for democratic placemaking—one where community members are not only heard, but invited to help shape the future of their city.
