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Hostile architecture is fundamentally sick. To take public space and purposely make it hostile to the human body is just so abhorrent, I don't understand how it

Hostile architecture is fundamentally sick. To take public space and purposely make it hostile to the human body is just so abhorrent, I don't understand how it isn't illegal everywhere. There's something about it that really gets to me. It's just so twisted at such a deep level that it feels like it is (or borderlines on) a human rights violation.

wahern 7y ago
I take it you've never been to a playground taken over by the homeless and drug addicts? Had to wash down the the sidewalk at 5AM in the morning so people don't step in filth walking into the office or store? I don't see anything wrong with hostile architecture, per se. What's wrong is hostile architecture in the absence of shelters and housing programs. But the solution isn't giving over playgrounds and store fronts, but to provide housing. And as someone who has lived in multiple large cities, I've seen firsthand (as an observer, as an acquaintance) a not insubstantial fraction of homeless will simply refuse assistance, whether because of mental problems or drug addiction. So the presence of hostile architecture doesn't necessarily mean shelter doesn't exist, it simply reflects other societal ills.
- PinkMilkshake 7y ago
  It's not just about the homeless, although they are the most affected. The very idea of it is horrible. We are slowly turning our cities into giant torture champers where it's uncomfortable to sit, uncomfortable to stand, uncomfortable to lie down. Everything is covered in nubs and spikes and built at angles that force you to expend energy. You can't ever relax. It's like this new breed of shopping malls that have no clocks, no rubbish bins, no benches and no water fountains. You either have to be shopping or leaving. Eventually the only comfy place left will be at home.
  - wahern 7y ago
    Because these things are abused. Simply providing them doesn't solve the problem--we'll just have really disgusting facilities that few people, if anybody, uses. I don't know how to solve the problem. But railing against the symptoms doesn't help. Filthy public spaces are worse than no public spaces, and no public spaces is precisely what we'll get if we try to address the symptoms without addressing the underlying causes. Parks disappear, buildings are built without public spaces entirely or with "public spaces" inside buildings where security patrol and which become inaccessible after hours, etc.
  - bluntfang 7y ago
    It's basically Roller Coaster Tycoon.

wahern 7y ago

I take it you've never been to a playground taken over by the homeless and drug addicts? Had to wash down the the sidewalk at 5AM in the morning so people don't step in filth walking into the office or store? I don't see anything wrong with hostile architecture, per se. What's wrong is hostile architecture in the absence of shelters and housing programs. But the solution isn't giving over playgrounds and store fronts, but to provide housing. And as someone who has lived in multiple large cities, I've seen firsthand (as an observer, as an acquaintance) a not insubstantial fraction of homeless will simply refuse assistance, whether because of mental problems or drug addiction. So the presence of hostile architecture doesn't necessarily mean shelter doesn't exist, it simply reflects other societal ills.

PinkMilkshake 7y ago
It's not just about the homeless, although they are the most affected. The very idea of it is horrible. We are slowly turning our cities into giant torture champers where it's uncomfortable to sit, uncomfortable to stand, uncomfortable to lie down. Everything is covered in nubs and spikes and built at angles that force you to expend energy. You can't ever relax. It's like this new breed of shopping malls that have no clocks, no rubbish bins, no benches and no water fountains. You either have to be shopping or leaving. Eventually the only comfy place left will be at home.
- wahern 7y ago
  Because these things are abused. Simply providing them doesn't solve the problem--we'll just have really disgusting facilities that few people, if anybody, uses. I don't know how to solve the problem. But railing against the symptoms doesn't help. Filthy public spaces are worse than no public spaces, and no public spaces is precisely what we'll get if we try to address the symptoms without addressing the underlying causes. Parks disappear, buildings are built without public spaces entirely or with "public spaces" inside buildings where security patrol and which become inaccessible after hours, etc.
- bluntfang 7y ago
  It's basically Roller Coaster Tycoon.