urban corner help

A friend of mine has a downtown business and owns a concrete pad at a corner intersection. The space is about 1000 sq. ft. (30' x 30' but may be able to expand it a little). He owns the two buildings that this space connects. He is an artist and wants the space to include edibles, social space, and beauty. Basically he wants the space to be inviting to people and encourage them to gather. Or just have a seat and eat pie.
Where do we start?

I am thinking we need to go vertical as much as possible. Re-use a bunch of stuff like old barrels and plant growies in them. Build a little bench with a roof on it with a water catchment system incorporated.

Any ideas or links to ideas would be totally appreciated.
Thanks!

That could be a great place for a cob bench under a sheltering roof.


The roof keeps the cob from being damaged by rain, but not all cob benches are under a roof. This one is in Portland:

Thank you Julia. This is a great idea!

I would think about vines crawling up those "Legs". The water catchment plants on top idea may be difficult or dangerous to maintain. Some have used sedums in eco rooves. There are edible succulents. Access is a key issue. WHere to store the ladder?

Purple passion flower is beautiful, catchy and easy to grow. I live in Portland and may be able to get you some. You are going to have more heat and less cold downtown than in the general area. Palms are catchy but slow growing. They would be ok in a large cement pot that no one would steal. Cactus would certainly be visually interesting, and they are definitely edible. Nopales are usually eaten with eggs or in a salad in Mexico, but I have some in my lacto fermented sauerkraut right now. They do grow here. Careful about planting mix. I suggest gravel. That's what I did.
John S
PDX OR