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Hostile design: how can urban design impact social inequality?
A design practice that obscures real social issues from the public.
Imagine this. It’s a crisp autumn afternoon and you’re walking through your city’s downtown area. You see a beautifully designed bench in the park and decide to take a moment to rest and enjoy the view.
As you sit, however, you quickly realize the bench isn’t as comfortable as it looks. The armrests in the middle of the bench cut into your sides and the seat’s slanted design makes it difficult to find a comfortable position. It’s clear that this bench wasn’t designed for relaxation, and that’s no accident.
Unbeknownst to many of us, this kind of design is a part of our everyday lives. These seemingly innocent fixtures in our cities are examples of “hostile architecture” or “defensive design” which are deliberate design strategies employed to guide, control, or even restrict how we interact with urban spaces.
From benches designed to discourage sleeping or loitering to spikes preventing birds from perching, or studs deterring skateboarders from grinding on ledges, the physical environment around us is full of subtle cues influencing our behavior.
But what is hostile architecture, and why does it matter?
Is it a necessary means of maintaining order and cleanliness in our public spaces, or is it an exclusionary practice that targets the most vulnerable among us?
What is Hostile Design?
Hostile architecture, sometimes referred to as defensive design or unpleasant design, refers to elements of the built environment intentionally designed to control, direct, or inhibit human behavior.
The intention is often to deter activities that are deemed undesirable, such as sleeping in public, skateboarding, littering, or even lingering.
One of the most apparent examples of hostile architecture is the “anti-homeless”…
