Can the homeless be even more uncomfortable? (Yes)
The insidiousness of hostile architecture is emerging in many urban areas, further exposing the homeless to harsh elements
By Sydney Peshon withart by brooke lambrecht
Up until falling into a recent YouTube rabbit hole, I had no idea what the term “hostile architecture” meant. If I were to give into wishful thinking, I’d assume it would be a plastic casket or creaky ladder in Spirit Halloween, not something as simple as park benches that reside under bridges, public parks, foyers to buildings, or any basic flat surface a person might find themselves wanting to rest on. And while benches with dividers or those that take on odd shapes aren’t bad enough, there are also fin insertions on walls, sprinkler systems that don’t water anything other than tired and targeted citizens, and minuscule anti-skate blades on ledges; things that could seriously injure someone who doesn’t realize their presence. Hostile architecture wards off the homeless by use of spikes, bars, barricades, and more, making sleep inaccessible and uncomfortable for those who are the most vulnerable.
Rather than take measures to address social and economic problems that lead to homelessness, city officials are making active efforts to simply ignore these systematic issues. Instead of recognizing the exclusion and humiliation hostile architecture causes, some view it as something to prevent crime and restrict behavior deemed as antisocial.