hostile architecture
Anti-homeless urban features
Hostile architecture refers to design features in public spaces intended to discourage certain behaviors or exclude certain people—particularly homeless individuals.
Benches with armrests that prevent lying down, spikes on ledges, sloped surfaces under awnings, and boulders placed beneath overpasses are common examples.
The term is usually critical, highlighting how such designs prioritize control over comfort: The city installed hostile architecture to push homeless people out of the park.
- defensiveProtective or easily threatened
- spikesSharp metal protrusions
- benchesMulti-person seats or sidelines
- park benchOutdoor communal seat
- deterrentThing that discourages action
anti-homeless · sleeping rough · armrests · unwelcoming · barriers · exclusion · public · public space · urban · urban planning · design · unpleasant · leaning · segregation · bollards · rough · sleepers · dividers
hostile, hostility, hostilities, hostilely, architecture, architect, architects, architectural, architecturally